


Don't Ask, Don't Tell

by Happy_Fluffy_Rainbow_Bunnies



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, PTSD, Rimming, lawyer!Sam, normal life AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 12:27:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1510421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy_Fluffy_Rainbow_Bunnies/pseuds/Happy_Fluffy_Rainbow_Bunnies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Gabriel have a strange relationship. Because he is Sam's 'hired snuggler,' Gabriel spends a lot of time in Sam's bed, but not in the context he'd prefer. Being a professional, Gabriel decides that he needs to cut back how much of his time he spends with Sam, just as the lawyer starts to show more interest in him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Ask, Don't Tell

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Mature/Explicit content. Mentions of PTSD and slight gore (found in a flashback)
> 
> We might add on to the story later if it is well received, so if you want more, please leave kudos and/or comments!
> 
> This is for the Gabriel Big Bang of 2014
> 
> Art has been posted by simbeline on tumblr and can be found [ here ](http://simbeline.tumblr.com/post/83488875687/phew-okay-art-for-the-gabriel-big-bang-for)
> 
> Art has also been posted by tricksterangelgabriel on tumblr and can be found [ here ](http://tricksterangelgabriel.tumblr.com/post/83431513883/tricksterangelgabriel-gabriel-big-bang-art)

Gabriel Novak slept with a lot of people.

 

More appropriately, a lot of people slept with Gabriel Novak.

 

Even though Gabriel was damn good at it, he believed that clients paid professional snugglers far too much money just to cuddle. But he wasn't about to complain, considering it was his livelihood.

 

Almost every night of the week Gabriel saw his regulars; some just needed him until they fell asleep, some just wanted someone to talk to, and some, like Sam Winchester, liked to have him there all night.

 

It had started as a once a week thing. Then it shifted to two or three nights a week. Before long, six out of Gabriel’s seven nights were spent in Sam’s bed, with the two of them pressed together, warm and cozy in Sam’s lofty studio apartment.

 

Sam was amazing—funny and compassionate, and always up for a spirited debated on the merits of licorice versus peanut butter and banana sandwiches. So it came as no surprise that Gabriel began to develop what might be known as feelings for the other man. A crush, no less.

 

A little after one in the morning, Gabriel arrived at Sam's home. He paused in the entryway to shed his traveling clothes, leaving him in just his pajamas, before he stepped out into the main room.

 

During the whole drive over, Gabriel mentally prepared himself to tell Sam they needed to cut back. Not because Sam’s money wasn’t good, and definitely not because Gabriel wanted to, but because he was running a legitimate business and if things happened between him and Sam he would potentially be opening himself up to a whole whirlwind of trouble.

 

So, it was with heavier steps than usual that he moved his way further into the apartment. He pulled his hair into a messy little ponytail while he called out, “Hey kiddo, where’re you hiding?” He stepped into the living area.

 

"Right here, Gabe," Sam replied from the couch, and rose to greet the man, smiling happily all the while. Gabriel's arrival meant that Sam could finally get to sleep. "I've been waiting, y'know." His voice was half-teasing as he opened his arms to hug his snuggler.

 

Gabriel hesitated to speak when Sam wrapped his arms around him. It was so much easier to think about doing something, saying something, to another person when they weren't actually present in the room, and while he had "spoken" to Sam in his car, the words he'd rehearsed (still fresh on his tongue, ready to be said) died under Sam's touch.

 

Smiling, Gabriel leaned a little further into the embrace, closing his eyes for a moment as he breathed in the familiar smell of body wash and laundry detergent.

 

"By the way," Sam muttered. "I made you a sandwich earlier. It’s still in the kitchen if you want it."

 

Gabriel leaned back with a playful smirk at the mention of food. "Dinner, Sammy? How did you guess I was starved?" He'd been resigned to go until the next morning without eating, but he found himself suddenly ravenous and unable to pass up the prospect of a sandwich.

 

"I dunno. Guess I spend too much time with you, huh?" Sam replied in a somewhat snarky tone. His fatigue had begun to show in his voice, as he relaxed into the familiar and comfortable pattern that had grown between the two of them. "Or maybe I'm psychic." He smiled.

 

Turning to slip out of Sam's hold, Gabriel let his fingers grip the taller man's shirt a second or two longer than he should have, and moved toward the kitchen. "Maybe. What kind of sandwich didja make me?" He glanced over his shoulder as he walked away.

 

Sam followed him into the kitchen, on the smaller man's heels like an eager dog. "Ham sandwich with the works." He motioned to the plate that sat in the middle of the kitchen island and made his way to the fridge. "Want anything to drink? Water, soda, beer?" Sam's wide grin settled into a quaint, soft, oh-so-very natural smile.

 

It took all of Gabe's restraint not to let out a little moan as he bit into his sandwich. He grinned to himself as he hopped up to sit on the island. Chewing thoughtfully, he tipped his head side-to-side and popped his neck loudly before waving his hand at Sam, swallowing.

 

"Water's fine. I'm on the clock after all."

 

And yet he allowed Sam to feed him like this. Gabriel hummed, reconsidering his decision. It had somehow become tradition for them to share a late-night snack before heading to bed, so why shouldn't a beer be involved too?

 

"On second thought..." Gabriel hesitated with his next bite and chanced a glance at Sam. "A beer would be amazing if you've got one..."

 

Sam chuckled quietly and cocked an eyebrow at Gabriel. Gabriel had never been so professional before and, frankly, Sam found it amusing. He easily swapped the glass of water for two beers—no harm in having one himself, right? It was his house, after all.

 

"Beer it is." He smiled again and ambled over to sit beside his paid snuggler at the counter. He shot him a concerned look. "You alright, Gabe? You look like your mind's racing."

 

"Hmm?" Gabriel had devoured half of his sandwich already in his hunger and had apparently been pensively staring at the other half until Sam appeared by his side, the cool beer held out between them. "What?" he said with a blink, shaking his head as he picked up the beer and sipped at it. "Oh yeah I'm fine—fine." The lie was all but written over his face but Gabriel couldn't bring himself to speak up. What would he say, anyway? 

 

"By the way, I have this super big crush on you, but because I'm too much of a loser to say anything I'll just let you keep paying me to sleep beside you every night"? Another sip of beer and Gabriel gestured to Sam, looking him over. He seemed positively at ease where he sat, dressed in his pajamas and reclining back against the counter. "I'm surprised you weren't already in bed, honestly. I expected to find you half asleep trying to read that book again—the big one you keep pulling out... what was it?"

 

"Atlas Shrugged?" Sam laughed happily and tipped his beer back, taking a few long gulps before he placed the bottle on the countertop. He shook his head at Gabriel. He knew full well that Gabe was not fine and that the man was preoccupied, but whenever something big was happening in the man's life, he kept it to himself, and Sam had learned not to push it. "Anyway," Sam continued. "You know I can't sleep without you." 

 

He said with a small sigh. He didn't want to sound as dependent on the man as he obviously was, but it was hard not to. "By the way, that book? It’s not that great. Really political and incredibly hard to get through."

 

Gabriel was grateful for Sam's candor. Sam could be impossibly charming (a quality that, in combination with his sharp intelligence, helped make him a killer lawyer) and Gabriel was lying if he said he was immune to the man's charms. But he normally managed to resist, keeping himself cool and collected, all smiles for Sam when he was there. So, despite the fact that hearing Sam admit he couldn't sleep without Gabriel warmed him just a bit more than it ought to, he quenched the heat in his gut with another swallow of beer and nodded. 

 

"Have you tried reading it aloud? With voices? Makes even Pride and Prejudice sound interesting." He cleared his throat and chuckled, trying not to imagine Sam reading books aloud beside him, listening to the rise and fall of his gentle voice as it lulled him to sleep. "Besides—" He shook himself out of his reverie when he imagined Sam kissing him as he slept. "When you get a book to read in bed the point is for it to be so simple and boring to follow that you can fall asleep—maybe we should find you an instructional guide for a VCR or something..." Gabriel fell quiet.

 

Sam shot Gabriel a skeptical look. Did the man really expect him to read aloud to himself? The concept was rather stupid, in Sam's opinion. When he wanted to read a book, he would read it, not listen to it. Although... He actually used to love having books read to him... Maybe he would try it sometime, after all. He didn't respond to the suggestion, however. Not when Gabe lapsed into silence again, with his adorable daydreaming, its-been-a-rough-day expression on.

 

Sam took advantage of the moment of distraction and just stared at Gabriel. He smiled as he examined his savior's body—because that was what Gabriel was to him. He was the reason that Sam's hair wasn't falling out and that his organs weren't shutting down.  
Sam spoke up again. "Why do I need that when I have you?" His tone was almost soft.  
"I've tried a lot of things like that, Gabe. I like having someone beside me. You know that."

 

Gabriel's dreamy expression faltered and he furrowed his brow, gold eyes flickering toward Sam. He took another bite from his sandwich, smiling a bit to himself as he nodded.

 

He'd gotten used to sleeping beside Sam too. Sure, he lay next to a lot of people, curled in every kind of position imaginable, but with Sam it was simple. No awkward positions or extracurricular soothing. They just had to climb in bed together and Sam would turn to pull Gabriel into his chest, and they'd sleep clear through the night in one another's arms.

 

"I know, Sam... But this whole thing is kinda like therapy." Gabriel admitted softly, biting down on his lower lip as he thought. "No one wants to be in therapy forever." Taking another bite from his sandwich, Gabriel slid down from the countertop and took his plate over to the sink to wash it, nestling it into the drain with his back to Sam.

 

Sam frowned. Tired, he almost reached out for Gabriel, somewhat irrationally afraid that the man would not return after washing his plate. "What if I don't want to get out of 'therapy'?" He protested adamantly, taking another long gulp of his beer. "Not if it's with you. I know... I know it’s not healthy, Gabe, but if I can't sleep then I can't complete a case, and then I can't get paid. I tried everything before I called you, I really did. But I get more rest when someone's in bed with me and I don't really... I don't have the time for a relationship." He finally did reach out, then, fingers brushing Gabriel's arm.

 

Turning at Sam's touch, Gabriel frowned as well. His brow creased together at the weak protest in Sam's usually strong voice. Gabriel wiped his hands on the dish towel before throwing it over his shoulder and moving to face Sam more fully. "I know, Sam.,” he said soothingly. 

 

Gabriel let his face relax and a smile cross his features as he reached out, stepping back into the intoxicating space in Sam's vicinity to brace his hands on the other man's arms with a small squeeze. Sam's frown lightened a little at the contact and he turned one hand up to hold onto Gabriel's forearm.

 

"I get it." Gabriel murmured. "Do you know how hard it is to date someone when they ask what you do for a living and you tell them you sleep with other people? Kind of a deal breaker."

 

Almost all of Gabriel's potential relationships crumbled at the point he told them of his occupation; or even worse; they never got off the ground to begin with.

 

Sam understood because he was a customer. He also understood that he wasn't Gabriel's only customer, and he was okay with that because—well because they weren't exclusive or together or anything of that nature.

 

"Maybe—maybe you can try something for tomorrow?" Gabriel suggested kindly, fingering his beer before he brought it to his lips for courage. He gestured around the apartment with the bottle. "I'm off the job tomorrow night, so you'll have the place to yourself. Why not invite some pretty young thing over for the night?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

 

Sam attempted to smile at the joke—both of their sex lives were nonexistent despite the fact that both slept beside someone nearly every day of the week—but failed rather miserably. His 'snuggler' suggesting that he try someone else, for once... Sure, it was only for a night. But that person wouldn't be Gabriel. It didn't matter that he could go out to a bar and pick someone up with relative ease. It still wouldn't be Gabe.

 

"I'll just stay up, then." Sam countered. The idea of taking someone else home—sleeping (or not sleeping, if it was some 'pretty young thing') in the bed that he so often shared with Gabriel…

 

Sam was over thinking all of it. They weren't in a relationship. At all. So why did he feel as though doing anything with anyone else would be like cheating? Sam paid Gabriel after their sessions. It was strictly professional.

 

"With that massive case you have the day after?"

 

Sam shifted his attention more firmly back to Gabriel. Right. They had been having a conversation.

 

"You have to try to get some sleep Sam. Even if it's a few hours passed out on the couch." Gabriel's voice held a scolding edge. His fingers slipped down Sam's arms before he lifted one hand and waved a single finger in admonishment. He took up his beer, draining the bottle in one pull, and turned to toss it into the recycling bin. He glanced at Sam out of the corner of his eye, leaning into the counter for a moment while his mind frantically worked past the warm alcohol-induced fuzz filled his insides.

 

"I'd...like to see you happy someday," he confessed, softly, voice dropping as he turned back to Sam, twisting his fingers as he spoke. "You know, with someone who makes you happy, and who you aren't paying to warm your bed."

 

Not someone like me, Gabriel thought hopelessly—As much as he would have liked to be the person Sam came home to every night... the one who climbed into bed with him and kissed his nighttime fears away... Gabriel knew it wouldn't happen. Couldn't happen. Besides, Sam was straight, and Gabriel's reputation would be put at stake.

 

After all, if word got around that he'd fallen for a client and ended up dating him, Gabriel’s ethics would be questioned. And with this whole business being a startup, he couldn't afford to lose out on clients just because they might be concerned he would fall in love with them.

 

Gabriel stilled, as Sam finally ventured to reach for him, his eyes going a bit unfocused while Sam's hands drifted toward his own. The previous thought ran through his head again.

 

Fall in love…

 

He tried to shake the thought out of his head and focused on Sam once more.  
A frown still curved Sam's lips, as he considered Gabriel's suggestion to find... someone. 

 

Of course, the man was correct. Sam couldn't stay up. But he wouldn't go to sleep without Gabe. He couldn't. No one else would do. But, instead of telling Gabriel about his hesitations, Sam pulled his hands away and swallowed the last of his beer, nodding apathetically.

 

"I'm a lawyer, Gabe. We don't get happy." Sam said, tiredly. "We get to spend our sleepless nights working on cases or we get reeled in by some gold-digging tramp when we get our big break." He let out a small, cynical snort. Of course he was murmuring. And of course Gabriel probably didn't hear half of his words, especially not with that glazed over look still in his golden eyes.

 

"Yeah? Yeah, I guess so." Gabriel stiffened where he stood. "So, um—I'm going to go set up the bedroom. Okay?" He didn't wait for an answer. His spine straightened and he backed away, towards the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. He turned to scurry away before Sam could stop him.

 

"I'll be there in a second." Sam called.

 

Gabriel gave no sign of hearing him.  
Jesus, what was he getting himself into, though?  
...  
Gabriel had a ritual. Something he did for a few of his clients, but not all of them, and definitely not like he did for Sam. When he first started with Sam, he'd rearranged the entire bedroom—much to Sam's chagrin. However, when it became apparent the effect of the reorganization had a positive effect, Sam hadn't bothered to switch it back. Probably because he knew Gabriel would just put it right back where he wanted it, anyway.  
Gabriel straightened up the area, tucking away Atlas Shrugged for the moment while he made the bed, allowing himself to drift away a bit. He welcomed the distraction, trying to clear his fuzzy head of thoughts of being Sam's saving grace, of sleepy nights together on the couch and hot showers together in the mornings. There were too many variables, too much to lose if he gave in... But even while he worked Gabriel could feel himself slipping. He just wanted Sam. Was there something so terribly wrong with that?

 

Gabriel got so lost in thought while he worked, that when Sam appeared in the doorway with a tentative, "Hey, Gabe," he nearly jumped out of his skin.

 

With a sheepish expression painted onto his face, Sam asked, "You don't mind if we spoon, do you?" as he swung the bedroom door shut behind him. Sam always asked. Even though he was the one paying for all of it. He still asked. "I kinda just want to hold you."

 

Gabriel finished straightening out the comforter before he stood upright once more and planted his hands on his hips. He offered Sam a small nod and a smile. "Of course. Little spoon coming right up." He moved over to take Sam by the hand and led him to the bed, pulling down the covers for him as he did every night. But as Sam began to sit down Gabriel lingered in his space. He leaned into Sam, for a moment, as if unsure what he should do, before he moved over to his side of the bed. He sat down with his back to Sam while he undid his watch and took off his ring. 

 

"What time do you have to be up tomorrow?" he asked softly, reaching for the alarm clock on the nightstand.

 

Sam's frown quickly disappeared as Gabriel's fingers slipped between his own. He smiled gently at the meager contact. Gabriel just made him happy. He couldn't be punished for that, could he? There was nothing wrong with it.

 

"If we get up at seven," he said. "I can make you banana pancakes after we shower... if you want." Sam turned to curl around Gabe, and moved his hand softly up and down Gabriel's side, asking for the man’s attention.  
Gabriel's fingers tightened around the alarm clock at Sam's touch. The warm hand trailing down his side sent waves of heat out to infect the rest of his body… and he was just too damn tired to resist. Falling back into Sam's chest, Gabriel set the alarm clock down and reached out to take Sam's hand from his side. He urged the taller man to wrap his arm around his waist as he kicked back to fully join him on the big comfortable king bed.

 

"How about peanut butter and honey waffles? Your brother sent you that waffle iron and you never even used it." Gabriel teased as he settled back against Sam. Sam's legs cradled his own, and the easy rise and fall of his chest against Gabriel's back made Gabriel dreamy-eyed and hazy all at once. And he had thought he was helping Sam to fall asleep. More like the other way around. Tugging the blankets up over them both, Gabriel reached up with one hand to pat the side of Sam's cheek fondly, chuckling to himself. "And I'll make eggs."

 

Sam groaned softly as they settled into the bed and tightened his hold on Gabriel, squeezing the smaller man for a few moments before letting his arms just stay wrapped around his snuggler. He nosed at Gabe's hair and huffed quietly. "But the waffle iron is complicated." He protested, tone both amused and petulant as he crowded the other man's space. He wanted to hold Gabriel even closer, but that was physically impossible.

 

Gabriel hummed something that could have been agreement, but he was half-lost to the world of sleep already.

 

Sam continued to speak. "I think you were born to do this, Gabe." He closed his eyes. "I would pay to have you here every time I got into bed if I could."

 

Gabriel nodded, barely aware of his surroundings. He might as well have been dreaming already and in his dream Sam told him how much he loved having him pressed right here, limbs loosely coiled together, warm and cozy in a little arctic cabin.

 

Why he imagined Sam in a cabin, Gabriel would never be able to explain to himself, but he had a wonderful time imagining himself and Sam with a herd of sled dogs, hunting only for what they needed and standing outside in the eternal night watching the aurora borealis paint the sky every imaginable color before they retreated to their haven and warmed up properly on the fur rugs by the fire…

 

Gabriel slept hard and when he opened his eyes to brilliant warm sunshine, he discovered that, at some point in the night, he'd shifted and turned to face Sam. Pressed chest-to-chest like this Gabriel could almost feel Sam's heartbeat—or was that the sudden pounding of his own heart? Turning his head up to the sleepy creature wrapped around him, Gabriel watched Sam.

 

In the first peaceful moments of the morning he looked perfect, still asleep, brow no longer creased with worry, lips slightly parted as he breathed. A serene scene if ever there was one. So when Gabriel managed to catch sight of the clock on Sam's nightstand and saw the time, he was shocked. He jolted upright, falling across Sam's chest as he grabbed for Sam's cell phone instead of the clock. He turned it on to view the time, just to double-check. It was the same. He cursed loudly, and patted Sam's chest urgently. 

 

"Sam—Sam, wake up! It's almost 10!"

 

Sam made a small noise at Gabriel's clamor and attempted to hold the man a little bit closer. He murmured a quiet "five more minutes" before Gabriel Gabriel's words fully processed. His eyes shot open and he sat up, pushing Gabe off of him—nearly off of the bed, in his haste.

 

"Fuck, Gabe." Frantic, Sam looked around for the clock. He groaned, suddenly exhausted, and lifted a hand to run back through his hair. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He pressed his head against Gabriel's shoulder and slouched against him. "Please tell me you're fucking around. I had a case. At 9:30. Fuck. Gabe."

 

Gabriel wished he was joking. He really, really wished he was. Sam's head on his shoulder felt like an anvil crushing down the cloud of happiness he'd been floating on between waking and that moment. Of course, he thought, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. 

 

Of course he'd fuck this up too. Sam's hands had felt so nice and warm against him last night he'd actually forgotten to set the alarm, and now Sam was late and everything would be ruined.

 

He reached up to stroke his fingers through Sam's hair. "I'm sorry—I'm so, so sorry," he murmured. He glanced at Sam's phone in his hand once again. Something was bugging him about it. He set aside his panic and took a moment to think.

 

He wondered why no one had called or tried to find out where Sam was. Surely someone, on noticing his tardiness, would have called. It wasn't unheard of for a lawyer to be late, after all. That's why they had seconds, right? A partner who could take over until they could arrive? But there was only a single text message left there by Sam's assistant, Tessa.

 

Familiarity and panic were the only things that prompted Gabriel take a peek at it himself instead of handing the phone over to Sam. As Gabriel read, relief spilled over him like a hot shower and he actually laughed, hugging Sam around the neck as he began to read aloud. "Sam, 'judge unavailable for 9:30. Moved back to 12:30pm start time.'"

 

Sam didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. He opted for a long, shaky exhale as he dropped his head into Gabriel's chest. It took him a moment to lift his head up, which came as no surprise seeing as he just about had a heart attack. When he did raise his face, he made it as far as Gabriel's neck before he nuzzled into the smooth skin at his throat. 

 

"Please, don't ever do that to me again, Gabe." He pulled the man closer, still trying to understand his sheer luck. "Talk about a real wakeup call." Sam said, finally laughing a little bit. It was probably due to adrenaline, but Sam's mouth found Gabriel's skin and pressed a soft, clear kiss to it in relief.

 

Gabriel laughed softly, the sound low in his throat. It was a freaking miracle, but Gabriel wasn't about to question it, grateful as he'd been for the brief respite. In the seconds that made up his initial panic, his mind had filled with myriad terrible scenarios—Sam throwing him out, telling him not to come back, shouting at him as he hurried to dress for his case. 

 

The thought of Sam upset with him had made him sick to his stomach, so to hear the relieved tone to Sam's voice—well it made Gabriel relax even more in his arms.

 

"Nothing like a shot of adrenaline to—" Gabriel's voice stuttered as Sam's lips grazed over his skin. "T-to wake you up." Gabriel didn't know what to think. Perhaps his mind was still cloudy with sleep or maybe he was weaker than he might have been normally. It was the only way to explain why his fingers nestled into Sam's hair, as he closed his eyes and melted into the press of Sam's lips. "I'm—sorry I forgot the alarm..." His voice went low by Sam's ear, and the fingers of his free hand splayed over Sam's back.

 

"It's alright." Sam murmured quietly, his lips ghosting Gabriel's skin. He didn't want to pull away, so he didn't. "Just... you're making breakfast." (As if that was a punishment.) His arms inched around Gabriel a little bit more and he tugged the man closer. In his sleepy mind, Sam only saw signs for 'go ahead.' Who was he to stop, with the buzzing in his veins and the mist in his brain?

 

Assuming that Gabe was okay with it, of course. He had signed an 'I'm not a whore' sheet when he signed on for Gabriel's service, and he was almost 98% sure that what he was doing would violate the contract.

 

Gabriel arched into Sam's touch, pressing back into him as he heaved a relieved and grateful sigh. If making them both breakfast was his punishment, well then Gabriel would give Sam the best damn breakfast he'd ever had the pleasure of shoving in his face.

 

"I can do that," he said, with a small chuckle that faded away at the second press of Sam's lips to his neck. The second time was firmer and more tangible. His stomach jumped in surprise and his fingers stilled in Sam's hair. He decided, after just a few seconds of deliberation, that it was fine. Nodded his head softly in encouragement (encouragement for Sam or for himself, Gabriel didn't quite know). 

 

It was just a bit of the adrenaline evaporating, the relief making them giddy and forgetful. But the heat didn't disappear—the warmth that had spread through Gabriel's limbs at finding how he hadn't ruined Sam's morning remained. The heat lingered most noticeably wherever Sam touched him, as if it gathered on him for the express purpose of making certain Gabriel knew Sam was there in his arms, clinging to him and leaving tiny kisses on his skin. 

 

It was too much and not enough and Gabriel took in a deep breath in an attempt to leave the heat behind as he leaned away, fingers tightening in Sam's hair again as he pulled away to look up at him. The sleepiness was gone from his eyes but the enchantment remained, and Gabriel took in a deep breath before he forced himself away. Sam whined softly and tried to chase his warmth, but let Gabriel go after a moment.

 

Gabriel offered Sam a small smile as he straightened himself out beside the bed and stretched his arms up over his head. "So," he started cheerfully, a warm smile on his lips. He turned to face Sam. "Change of plans! You take your shower; I'll get going on breakfast. Not waffles—it'll be a surprise." 

 

Sam made a small noise. He wanted Gabriel back in his arms—had never felt more content than when he was wrapped around the shorter man. But he didn't protest... although he sorely wanted to protest this new schedule, but if Gabe showered with him, he was sure that it would take them twice as long to finish. So he nodded, agreeably, and stood up when Gabriel offered his hand. 

 

"Thanks, Gabe." Sam gave Gabriel a warm smile and started towards the bathroom—decided he shouldn't linger any longer. "I'm really sorry about how our morning started." Waking up to active swearing was definitely not a great beginning to a day, and he couldn't imagine how Gabriel had felt.

 

"Don't sweat it, Sam. Breakfast in thirty, okay?"

 

Gabriel couldn't really blame Sam for his reaction, even if he tried. It had been his own fault after all and he probably would have spent the rest of the day cursing at himself for his mistake. Heading back out to the kitchen, Gabriel rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he took in Sam's apartment in the morning hours. Usually Sam had to be up early in order to make it to the office on time, so Gabriel had seen the place in various stages of sunrise and once in the darkness at five in the morning when Sam had needed to catch a flight out to Los Angeles.

 

Gabriel found he kind of liked the way sunlight poured through the windows, and the warmth it added to Sam's kitchen. It wasn't until Gabriel switched on the radio by the stove that he realized it felt like home.

 

So he let himself play pretend for a little while.

 

With music in the air and the sunshine on his skin, Gabriel began to move through the kitchen with unerring grace, pulling out the griddle and bread and eggs. Before long the kitchen smelled heavenly, the air thick with sweet scent of cinnamon French toast, and Gabriel was dancing and singing along to the radio just like he did in his brother's place.  
...

 

In the bathroom, Sam turned and stretched the sleepy stiffness out of his limbs. He shed his shirt before he closed the door and made a few soft noises as he undressed the rest of the way. When he stepped into the shower, he happily welcomed the warm spray of the water. He stood underneath it for two and a half more minutes than he usually allotted himself. He deserved a few extra moments to wake himself up in a more pleasant manner, after all. Right?

 

After he washed his hair and his body he shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the nearest two towels—because his hair needed an entire towel of its own. Sam tied the longer one around his waist before he opened the door to make his way to the kitchen. He began to towel off his hair, as he stepped into the room, and he lazily leaned against the doorway. He stared at Gabriel for a few moments before speaking.

 

"I couldn't convince you to stay again tonight, could I?" His tone was innocent, and encouraging. It was Friday. Friday meant that Sam didn't have to go in to work the next day (thank The Lord for promotions) and that he could sleep in late... If he could get to sleep in the first place. 

 

"I mean, I understand if you want a day to yourself, but... I'd really appreciate it if I could have tonight. You could take Wednesday off... I should probably stay up for research then... So it works for me...?"

 

Gabriel spun around, perhaps a bit shocked. He expected to see Sam in his work clothes, or at the very least his running clothes... so to see Sam draped in nothing but a towel... Gabriel let out the smallest keening sound, inaudible under the radio's noise, before he turned back to his eggs. He turned down the music. 

 

"Tonight?" Gabriel echoed, incredulously pushing the eggs around in the pan to distract himself from the hopeful tone to Sam's voice. "Tonight's my night off though—" He cut himself off with a scoff. And what exactly was he planning on doing with his night off? Sitting at home catching up on his Netflix queue, curled up with only his dog Honey for company, that's what. Turning with the pan in his hands, Gabriel shoveled eggs onto the two plates he'd set out on the countertop, each layered with a few slices of French toast already.

 

Sam frowned a little bit at Gabriel's reaction, and he opened his mouth to take back the offer, not wanting to impose on whatever it was that Gabriel had planned. But Gabriel spoke first.

 

"I uh...yeah, actually. I can do that. You can sleep in tomorrow, right?" He waved his spatula at Sam with a weak smile. 

 

Sam, distracted by the easy, domesticated way that Gabriel moved around the kitchen, smiled softly. The thought of coming home to... that... was appealing -- even if it was only for that day. One thought led to another, and he found himself drifting a little as he imagined what it would be like to have a family, or even just a life outside of being a lawyer.

 

Gabriel's words registered, and Sam nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed the towel across his hair again. "It’ll be really nice to not actually have to work on this case for five minutes." He fondled the roll that kept the towel on his waist firmly where it belonged. "Thank you, Gabe. And if you want, you can bring your dog." He was more excited than he should have been at the idea of having a dog in the apartment. "I love dogs," he said.

 

He stepped toward the kitchen counter, as if he was going to sit down and start eating, "I really wish that I had time for one. But with how much time I spend in the office, it really wouldn’t be fair for him, ya know?" Sam was definitely not asking Gabriel to move in or anything, especially not when they weren’t in a relationship—or really even in anything at all. He just assumed that maybe the dog missed Gabriel and, well, he didn't want to make the man resent him by taking away his 'me' time. 

 

Gabriel chuckled weakly at Sam's suggestion he bring Honey. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into, with that offer. It was bad enough that most of the time Honey had to be kept cooped up in the studio apartment when someone was home, but when he was off to work (in the event his brother was gone at his mechanic boyfriend's place) poor Honey had to spend whole nights in the kennel until Gabriel could retrieve her. He'd begun training her as a therapy dog but she had yet to get her licensing. Once she had that, however, Gabriel actually could bring her to work.

 

Honey would love getting out of the house, especially in a place as nice and spacious as Sam's apartment. "I was going to tell you she's coming over whether you like it or not," Gabriel smirked, moving around the island to join Sam—towel and all.

 

Sam realized, suddenly, that he lacked clothing. He motioned to the food and then to the other room, awkwardly, "I'll just... Let me just put some boxers on."  
He trotted back towards his bedroom, emerging half a minute later on only his underwear; Sam ran hot and disliked wearing clothes when he didn't need to. He slid into a chair and looked at Gabriel expectantly.

 

Gabriel, having just sat down, smiled and passed a glass of orange juice and a plate of French toast to Sam. He doused his food in powdered sugar and maple syrup.  
Sam stared in awe at the sheer amount of sugar that coated Gabriel's plate—how was he not 600 pounds? 

 

"Working on your layer of fine living?" He asked in a teasing, playful tone. "Or is that extra bit of fluff what keeps the business running?" Sam lifted the orange juice to his lips and hummed happily at the bright taste—there really was no way that anyone could be unhappy while drinking orange juice.

 

"I'm gonna ignore the fact you just called me pudgy and remind you that you like cuddling up with this," Gabriel patted his stomach and flashed Sam a cheeky smile. While he knew he probably could benefit from a little more exercise, the fact of the matter was he had a metabolism as fast as the Road Runner. That combined with his morning runs with Honey at least helped Gabriel to keep a trim shape. 

 

"So you should show me some respect, Sam," He speared a few more bites of French toast, as he teased Sam. (More than teased—flirted!) "Especially if you want me to come over tonight." He paused, struck with a thought. It was brash and maybe even just a little daring but Gabriel had to try.

 

"Look," he said. "I don't want you to pay me, tonight," He glanced at Sam out of the corner of his eye. Shrugging gently, he returned to cut up his food. "I nearly made you late. I definitely don't deserve it. Besides, I still want my night off and it's not a night off if you're handing me money. We'll just--hang out." Gabriel waved his fork in Sam's direction before he took a bite of French toast, chewing it unmercifully as he faced his plate. He could only hope he'd made himself understood with the cryptic message. 

 

Gabriel wanted Sam to understand that he wouldn't be coming over tonight with the intention of spending the evening as client and provider. Gabriel wanted to come to Sam's for his night off, to spend it hanging out with someone he considered a friend. "And you're sure you don't mind Honey along? She's kinda a mess."

 

Sam paused for a moment and looked at Gabriel. He couldn't help but wonder if it meant that they were merely going to hang out or if Gabe would still sleep with him. Of course, that was just Sam selfishly wanting to sleep. "If you really don't mind..." He cut into his own piece of French toast. "Yeah, no. Actually, that sounds great." he said, nodding when he realized exactly how long it had been since he'd just "hung out" with another person.  
Sam ate half a piece of French toast before washing it down with a few giant gulps of his juice. When he finished chewing, he laughed and said, "And, Gabe? I don't think you understand just how much I love dogs. I was that kid who always put 'puppy' on every wishlist I had the opportunity to make, but never got a dog." He turned back towards his own syrupy mess (though it was a fraction of the amount on Gabriel's plate) and ate another few bites before he laughed again and added, "So no, I don't mind in the slightest." 

 

Hearing Sam confess his desire to own a dog made Gabriel curious as to why he couldn't have one as a kid. Did he not have a big enough yard? Did they only ever live in apartments that didn't allow animals? Was his brother or father allergic to them, or something? Gabriel shook his head as he swallowed again, grinning to himself.

 

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. She's housebroken, I swear, but... excitable when she first meets you." He paused. "Then she gets lazy and lays all over you. What time do you think I should come back?" Gabriel wondered if he could manage to finish all of his chores and errands that day in just a few hours. 

 

"Never said you didn't." Sam countered with a matter-of-fact tone. It wasn't flirting. Not exactly. They both were playful and it was just their personalities mixing in the morning. Honest to God. Or at least, that's what Sam told himself. "Personally, Gabe, I think I've got you, hook, line and sinker." He meant for the 'night off', but also found himself pondering what else the line could mean. He hoped Gabriel wouldn't be spooked by the possible implications.

 

He continued, "and if you're hoping to get any time with that dog, I regret to inform you that you won't." He looked up at the microwave's clock and set his fork down for a moment so that he could run a hand through his shower-dampened hair. "You can come over whenever you want." Sam said with a shrug and picked up his cup, happily sipping his orange juice now that his hunger had been fairly satiated. "If the case starts around noon... Judge will call for a break at one and then at two. The defendant is a complete asshole. You'd think he was a politician with his filibusteros arguments and his illogic—I'm sorry." 

 

Sam realized he was sharing too much about something that Gabriel couldn't possibly care less about. He scratched his head and sighed tiredly, realizing that he was going to have a rough day. "Anyway, court will be dismissed around three and then I have to do work at the firm for a few hours after that... I might be home by six or seven. Possibly eight if Rufus has extra work that needs to be done. When would be good for you?"

 

Gabriel was on the verge of telling Sam it was okay if he wanted to go on about his cases. He was one of those rare people who actually liked being called in for jury duty. He found the judicial process rather fascinating once you got out from behind the red tape. Finishing off his plate, he grabbed Sam's, spearing the rest of his French toast and eating it off bite-by-bite while he carried the dishes over to the sink.

 

"Any time's good, I suppose. I've just gotta get Honey and run my errands and I'll have nothing to do until you come home—" Gabriel blanched at his choice of words, turning the water on to run over the dishes while he soaped up the sponge, clearing away the sticky mess left over from their breakfast. "I'll keep busy, so it's probably best if you just text me when you're done." 

 

He glanced up at Sam, while he cleaned the dishes and set them up to dry in the rack. He wondered, as he wiped his hands dry on the towel, if this was such a good idea after all. He leaned against the counter, pushing himself up onto his toes. He'd gone through all the trouble to psych himself up last night. To convince himself this needed to stop... but this was Sam, and he was perfect and adorable, especially first thing in the morning, still damp from his shower, looking warm and happy after a good breakfast. Gabriel licked his lips, and tucked the dish towel into a drawer, and nodded, a smile on his lips. "On that note, I think I'm gonna head out. I'll see you tonight yeah?"

 

"Alright." Sam returned his smile. "Thank you so much for breakfast. It was absolutely delicious."

 

"You're very welcome." Gabriel didn't often get complimented on his cooking, usually left just cooking for himself when he had the apartment to himself, so he soaked up the praise.

 

Sam grinned down at Gabe. God, he just wanted to stay in bed all day with him—he was like this walking sunbeam, and Sam just wanted to wrap himself around him. "I'll... I'll text you, yeah. Keep your phone on though; I might see if Jacob and his intern can do the paperwork for tonight. I just wanna come home."

 

"Right." It was hard not to beam when Sam smiled at him like that, and Gabriel felt more warmth stealing away into his stomach as he lingered longer than he really should have, given they had just (for the most part) said goodbye. "S-See you around Sam."  
Gabriel took his exit, stage left, and moved past Sam heading for the front door, where he dressed and left.

 

The moment he was outside Gabriel took a deep breath of the fresh air and leaned back against the apartment door for a minute. What sort of trial was this? He could manage a professional air around Sam for the most part, but tonight he wasn't coming back as a provider. He wasn't going there specifically to put Sam to bed; he was coming over to hang out, to spend time with Sam.

 

Needless to say that thought hung over Gabriel's head the rest of the day. He came home to Honey still in her kennel, and as penance for leaving the poor girl alone... he kind of went crazy at the pet store when he purchased provisions for her for that night. Besides her very favorite wet food he managed to buy a turtle and dragon shaped dog toy, as well as some balls designed for her little mouth, and a whole box of treats. When he finished his errands he and Honey went to the park, where he let her run around with the other little dogs. He threw balls for her and generally forced her to run off every drop of energy she'd managed to accumulate. The more exhausted the she was coming back to Sam's the better.  
...

 

When Sam finally texted him, Gabriel headed out with Honey in tow, pausing at the grocery store on his way so that by the time he arrived he was laden with bags, trying to balance it all with Honey practically yanking his arm off on the way up the stairs. "Remember what we talked about in the car," he warned Honey, as he waited to be let in. He held Honey back as she sniffed eagerly around Sam's door, surely wondering what they were doing there and not at home. And even as Gabriel spoke he wasn't sure if he was talking to Honey or to himself. "This is just one night, okay? Be good." 

 

The hearing went on for ages and by the time Sam got out of court, at four o’clock; he was already done with the day. Unfortunately, he had to trudge back to the office and do more work. Nick had said that he could leave at 7:30, but the giant pile of case files on his desk would take Sam a little over four more hours to get through. 

 

The clock went slower than molasses in winter, and Sam made a soft noise in protest when he saw the rest of the office start to clear out at 5:30. His only saving grace was the thought of Gabriel being in his home again, and man, he was sort of completely dependent on his "snuggler," wasn't he?

 

As soon as he started on the last file, he texted Gabriel to head over. When he was done, he ran his hands through his hair, dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and then stood, grabbing his jacket and making a beeline for his car. Now, more than ever, Sam was grateful for the auto locking doors on his building, hating the idea of spending even another minute away from his house.

 

He raced home, driving faster than he should have, and didn't take a moment to breathe until he was in the elevator. Once he got into his apartment, he started to strip again and jumped in the shower to quickly rinse himself off. He wanted to wash away all the crap from his long, slow day. 

 

It only took him three minutes to fully clean himself and, after he dried himself off, he got dressed in sweats and a large, old Stanford shirt. Five minutes after that, Gabriel knocked on the door and Sam rushed to answer it. He opened it with a friendly smile, about to say 'Hey, Gabe' when a small dog jumped up against his legs. 

 

Sam laughed and knelt beside Honey, petting her for a moment before he picked her up. "Small dog for a small guy?" He teased playfully, grinning as the dog licked his face. "I like it." After a few moments of reveling in the pet's attention, Sam tucked the dog underneath his arm and grabbed almost all of the bags with his other. "Come on in."  
Gabriel sighed, a small smile crossing his lips. It was incredible that after spending all day with his stomach in knots, all Sam had to do to make Gabriel relax was smile.

 

"Don't let the small size and cuteness fool you. She thinks she's a monster dog. And you don't have to take those," he insisted, weakly shaking his head. As he stepped inside, he closed the door behind him. He placed the bag of pet food on the ground so he could lock the door. Habit had him starting to pull up his shirt when he remembered he wasn't working that night, so instead he reached out and unhooked Honey's leash, while the pooch positively squirmed with excitement. "If you just let her down she can get used to the place. I promise she'll be back to bother you later," Gabriel rubbed Honey's head, chuckling as she lolled in Sam's embrace, tongue hanging out while she took in her new (temporary, Gabriel reminded himself) lodgings.

 

Sam let the dog down before heading to the kitchen to put the grocery bags on the counter. He walked back toward Gabe. "Feel free to get comfortable,” he said with a soft laugh, when he noticed Gabriel tugging at the ends of his shirt. Sam looked down at Honey with an amused smile, leaning down to gently pet her head. She squirmed and jumped out of his hands. By the time Sam stood again, Honey was already halfway across the apartment.

 

He turned to Gabriel and let out a tired sigh, "I hope your day was better than mine." he said, running a hand through his long hair. "Because I think I spent mine in the eighth circle of Hell."

 

Gabriel straightened his shirt with an awkward smile. "Is that the one that's reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theatre?" He moved back toward the door, pulling off his sneakers and socks—getting comfortable like Sam had suggested. "Sorry bad joke. What happened? The case didn't go well?"

 

Sam laughed quietly at Gabriel's joke and at his correction. He watched the man slip out of his shoes, losing a few inches in the process, and he found it slightly disconcerting how interested he was in Gabriel's mannerisms. He sighed and shook his head, turning away from Gabriel so that it didn't seem like he had been staring. "It didn't not go well." He compromised, starting towards the kitchen to get a drink. 

 

"Sometimes I regret going into corporate law. All of the people are assholes. But I guess it's better than criminal law, and you couldn't pay me enough to do family." He hoped that Gabriel would follow him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. They had drunk some last night but he wasn't sure if Gabe would accept another. Nonetheless, Sam wanted to drink. "But enough about me. What'd you do today?"

 

Gabriel followed after Sam dutifully and began to start unloading his groceries. Accepting the proffered beer, he drank with one hand and pulled out ingredients with the other. 

 

"Well...I picked up Honey first..." he began and after a few minutes of stumbling on his words Gabriel started detailing what had happened between his errands and his fun with Honey in the park. As with that morning, Gabriel moved easily through the kitchen as he prepared dinner for the both of them. He turned on the radio again and let it buzz pleasantly in the background, filling any empty air with song.

 

Sam listened intently to Gabriel's ramblings, leaning his elbows against the higher portion of the kitchen island. It was good, Sam thought, for the kitchen to actually be used every once in a while.

 

Or used properly, at least. While Sam wasn't incompetent when it came to the culinary arts, his talent peaked at "not burned, slightly seasoned steaks," breakfast foods, and "I think it's done" chicken. He had always wanted to get better at it... however, most days when he got home all he wanted to do was work out and relax.

 

Eventually, as Gabriel was searing up the shrimp, laughing as he described Honey taking down a pit bull twice her size at the dog park, he said. "But then I remembered that males often let females win so they can get to know them, so needless to say Honey's got a honey at the park..." He grinned at his pun and pulled the now-pink shrimps off the burner. He paused, realizing he'd been talking the whole damn time. It was strange. No one ever let him just ramble like that. "

 

Jesus, sorry. I must be boring the absolute shit out of you..." He handed Sam a plate of brown rice with sautéed vegetables and a massive helping of shrimp. "Do you...want to eat in here?"

 

Sam laughed lightheartedly. It was so nice, Sam thought, to have fun with someone rather than spend the evening alone. "You aren't boring me." He assured Gabriel with an almost gracious smile. 

 

"I don't really get many chances to get out of the office so hearing things that aren't legal jargon is... Well, it's nice." His mouth watered at the sight of the fresh food on his plate. He looked at Gabriel with an expression of complete adoration. "Do you want to watch TV? I mean, we can turn it on and eat from here, or we can go sit on the couch?" He motioned to the sofa. 

 

"See the typical response would be, 'You lucky son of a bitch, I have to sit in an office all day and you get to go play with your dog...'" Dammit but Gabriel couldn't help smiling when Sam smiled. It put him at ease. "And let's hit the couch. There's gotta be something good on." A sitcom, a movie, something scary, maybe, so that Gabriel could slip just a little bit closer without it being weird…

 

"On second thought—Honey might take that as the smorgasbord signal and raid our plates. Do you ever use this table?" He turned towards the blonde wood table Sam had tucked into the bay window. It was forever dressed like it was ready for a meal, but to date Gabriel had never seen Sam eat there. He eyed it.

 

"Help me move this stuff," he ordered casually, picking up the stack of dusty plates and hauling them to the sink. He'd wash them before setting them up again the next day. "You know I've always wanted to ask...why did you become a lawyer? No offense but you seem like the kind of guy who prefers a hands-on kind of job. Like—I don't know, a handy-man or a lumberjack or something..." Even Gabriel couldn't hide his smirk as he pictured a red plaid shirt stretched over all that muscle. "You know what I mean?"

 

Sam shook his head at Gabriel's questions. As for the table... honestly, he hadn't used it since Dean came to visit him when he first got the apartment, and that had been for a total of ten minutes before they moved to the couch. He straightened the placemats and silverware and set their plates on the table. 

 

Sam contemplated blowing the last question off, not really sure if Gabriel wanted to listen to him ramble on and on about why he wasn't a lumberjack. But, he decided to answer anyway.

 

"Well..." He sat down at the table, mentally deciding what he would tell Gabe and what he wouldn't—the man wanted to know about his career, not his family. "I wanted to go to school." He said simply, shrugging a little as he picked up his beer again. "I wanted to help people and I thought I could if I went into law. But, uh, it didn't work out like that." 

 

He let out a short laugh and tipped his beer back. "I used to do a lot of work with my brother on his cars in our... Uncle's... garage back in South Dakota. I liked it... Working with my hands, I mean. I used to be good at it too. But you don't go to school for that and I wanted to get away from my family—they tend to smother, you know?" He smiled, to play off the subtle hint at the problems within his family. "On another note, are you some sort of angel? Because this looks absolutely delicious, Gabe."

 

"I'm pretty certain angels don't cook, but thanks," Gabriel brushed off the compliment with a small smile, feeling his ears starting to burn, as they so often did around Sam. "It's only shrimp and rice, though. It's real easy..." He paused. "Anyway, yeah, I can get wanting to get away from your family." It was what he'd done too, in fact, though his solution had taken him much, much farther away than just California. When he'd returned, Castiel was the only sibling who hadn't shut him out completely, and after a bit of time they agreed to move in together when Gabriel started snuggling for a living. It just didn't make sense to keep an apartment for himself when he spent so little of his time there.

 

Gabriel took a few bites and sipped from his own beer.

 

Honey padded into the kitchen, tail wagging as she wandered in, and perched herself by the table, glancing hopefully between the two of them.

 

Gabriel continued, "But I mean if you wanted to go into law to help people, why aren't you working Legal Aid or something? Why work in corporate law if you hate it so much?" Gabriel stood up, moving to dish out some dog food for Honey, setting it down beneath the table so that she could eat between them. 

 

Sam smiled at Gabriel, kinda, sorta really liking the way that the other man acted when he was just a little flustered. He put one of his hands down and wiggled his fingers at Honey, and she languidly licked at his them. Sam's smile widened just a little bit.

 

"A professor at Stanford." Sam said, as if that fragment of a sentence made sense. "A professor at Stanford told me that I 'didn't take the BAR for nothing,' and that if I actually wanted to use my degree I needed to go into Corporate." He wiped his mouth with his napkin and lazily watched Gabriel tend to his dog. "Honestly. It was the worst choice of my career, but I have a good apartment and I can't complain about much. Even if the highlight of my day is coming home to my snuggler and his dog."

 

It warmed Gabriel's heart to hear Sam call his visits the highlight of his day—also made it that much harder to keep from imagining himself with Sam all the time, getting to see a smile that bright every night while they sat down to dinner. Together.

 

Gabriel shook his head.

 

"See I'm of the mind that when an old codger tells me what to do, I do the exact opposite," Gabriel paused to take a bite of shrimp, pushing the rest around on his plate until an unseasoned shrimp 'fell' off his plate. "Oops," he murmured with a smirk while Honey snatched at the tidbit before anyone could try and pick it up. He swallowed, feeling the warm food ease the knots in his stomach.  
"I wasn't always a snuggler, you know," he said idly, while they ate, occasionally glancing up to Sam from the other side of the table. "I was in the Military first. Did two tours in Iraq and spent some time in Japan in between..."

 

"Why weren't you around in Palo Alto?" Sam asked with a soft laugh, his eyes on Honey, focused on something other than Gabriel for once. He smiled just a little bit wider at the way the dog chomped at her small piece of shrimp.

 

He looked up, after a moment of thought. "Military?" Sam scooped some more rice into his mouth. "I never would have thought that you were a military man." He shot Gabe a lazy grin, reaching for his beer again. "What division?" He set down his fork for a moment as Honey ambled back towards his chair. He dropped his hand again and ruffled her fur. The sound that came out of his mouth when she licked his hand wasn't exactly a giggle... actually, no, it was a giggle.

 

He cleared his throat and looked up sheepishly at Gabriel. "What... What, uh, got you into 'snuggling'? It's a strange career path—don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you took it, but...?" 

 

Gabriel felt his face heat up at the sound of Sam's laugh, letting out a relieved breath that Sam wasn't turned off by his former employment. To be honest he hadn't thought of it in a very long time, having been dishonorably discharged years earlier. 

 

"I was a part of a platoon. Little group of guys, about thirty of us total and we did everything, minesweeping, peacekeeping...general stuff." Murder, mayhem and napalm too... Gabriel gripped his fork a little tighter as he shoveled a bite of food into his mouth. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

 

Honey seemed to sense his distress—just like he'd trained her to. She gave Sam's hand one last lick before wandering over to sit next to Gabriel, lying down over his feet. After a deep breath, Gabe sighed, and chuckled before glancing up to Sam. 

 

"Well uh...I told you I spent time in Japan and that's where I first found that professional snuggling was actually a thing so I tried it. And I liked it." Gabriel reached down to rub Honey's ears. She looked up at him with big eyes before settling again with a little huff. 

 

Chuckling lightly, Gabriel sat up, looking up at Sam with a shrug. "Some of the guys in my unit—they were a little shell shocked. Some of them screamed through the night. Most of the time you learn to ignore it." Because that's just what you did. They screamed, and you pushed your pillow a little harder over your head, or turned up the music in your ears, and forgot about it—pushed it away until morning. 

 

"But one day I just couldn't take it anymore," Gabriel put up his hands in defeat laughing weakly. He took a sip of his beer—for courage. "So one night I climbed in with my buddy Nick, who had it the worst of any of us, and I tried out some things...and they worked." Even Nick had admitted that it had been the most peaceful sleep of his life when Gabriel had climbed into his bunk behind him and held onto him for a few hours that night.

 

"But this was before DADT was repealed, so when my lieutenant was clued in the next day by someone who'd seen me sneaking into Nick's tent I was discharged and sent home..." Most unfairly, of course, but Gabriel had never appealed for his pension funds or begged for his job back. He'd found something else that could help not only himself but other people as well. Good people who suffered needlessly like Sam. "I was Staff Sergeant Novak. Now I'm just Gabriel and I prefer that over anything."

 

Sam frowned at the story and shifted a shrimp around with his fork. He wanted to tell Gabriel that he could sue and get compensation, but he held his tongue—Gabriel looked a bit emotional about the entire topic, anyways. He thought, as he ate.

 

"It might be selfish, but..." A small smile returned to his lips as he drank the last of his beer. "I'm kinda glad that you fell into the snuggling business. I think you're mostly responsible for my sanity." There was a grateful gleam in his eyes that said that Gabriel meant more to him than his slightly facetious tone let on. 

 

"Well I'm glad to be of service," Gabriel said, with a smile so bright it ought to dim the rest of the room in contrast. He turned red again as he stood, taking their empty bottles and pausing by Sam's side. "It's nice to hear I'm making a difference." 

 

Turning back into the kitchen, Gabriel tossed the bottles away, opening the fridge to peer inside. He grabbed another pair and returned to the table to pop them open.

 

Gabriel wasn't exactly sure why he'd told Sam so many intimate details (Heaven knew he hadn't even really talked to Cas about his time in the military) but with Sam, somehow, it just came out and it was okay and he was actually pleased to have it out there. Handing over the beer, Gabriel returned to his plate, satisfied enough with his meal to just lean back in his chair, watching Sam curiously while he sipped his beer.

 

Sam never let anyone take care of him the way that he let Gabriel. He never let anyone do his job—cleaning around the apartment and the like, because, well, whoever was over was a guest. But it felt nice to just sit and listen and have another beer appear in his hands when the other man returned from the kitchen. 

 

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but seemed a little reluctant.

 

"You know... I'm a little curious about you, though..." he finally admitted, perhaps feeling a little bold after talking freely for the first time in a long time. "I mean, most of the people I snuggle with are victims of abuse or other vets like me but you went to Stanford, been working as a lawyer ever since...why do you need me anyway?"

 

Sam hesitated for a moment at the question, wondering how much of his life he should tell Gabriel. The man had shared intimate details with him, but Sam was a different character. He didn't share. Sharing feelings was never really facilitated in his family and he was used to it being that way. Sam diverted his attention to the bottle in his hand and closed his eyes as he sipped it. "I've had... I've had nightmares ever since I was a kid." 

 

He explained, setting the beer back onto the table. "My brother used to keep them away. At Stanford... I endured my way through them—You know, that whole 'grin and bear it' kind of attitude—until I met Jess... But I think she left because she got sick of them—of me." Sam's tone was soft, as he reached for the small dog that had settled at his feet. "I can't sleep without someone else near me, but I don't have time to go out and... Ya know, find someone. I swear, you're some sort of godsend, Gabe."

 

"Yet on a night off you opt to spend it here with me and my dog—?" Gabriel suggested with a smirk gesturing around to Sam's apartment before nodding to Honey then to himself. "How is this any different from inviting someone back after dinner?"

 

Gabriel immediately regretted his words the minute they left his lips but being the prideful sonuvabitch he was, he didn't take the words back either.

 

Sam furrowed his brow a little at what Gabriel had said and his eyes got wider, almost puppy doggish, for a few moments before he forced himself to smile and to laugh it off. "Don't flatter yourself, Gabe. I asked you to come so I can steal your dog,” he said.

 

Gabriel was startled by Sam's snappy comeback, so much so that laughter burst from him and he shook his head. "See I knew there was an ulterior motive." He downed a healthy swig of his beer before sitting upright to spear himself the last few bites of shrimp. "Did you want some more?" He asked at last, if a bit weakly. "There's a few left in the pan."  
Sam shook his head at the offer and lifted his beer to his lips again, taking a few long sips before he stood.

 

When Sam declined the remaining shrimp Gabriel sat up, ready to do something to alleviate the sudden nerves that had pinched his stomach, but Sam headed him off, sweeping up the dishes before Gabriel had a chance. Gabriel pouted. "Unfortunately for you, Honey's loyal to only me. Isn't that right girl?" He leaned over in his chair and patted his leg. Honey padded over, happy to accept some loving while Sam scraped off their dishes. 

 

Sam laughed as he dried off his hands. "Wait until she spends some time with me. I haven't met anyone who hasn't fallen in love with my hands." He re-entered the living room and sat on the couch beside Gabriel, reaching out for his beer.

 

And I bet you never will... Gabriel thought a little wistfully. His gaze lingered Sam's broad hands as the taller man took his bottle back. He didn't even see Honey streak by him, running to leap up onto the couch, prancing along it till she could drape herself over Sam's lap. All Gabriel could think of were Sam's hands—covered in grease after working on his car, covered in dirt after working in the yard... Sam's hands doing delicious, terrible, and wonderful things to him.

 

Combing his fingers through his hair, Gabriel cleared his throat with a cough, nodding his head before he sipped back his beer. 

 

"Let's watch a movie, or something." Sam suggested with a smile.

 

"Whadd’ya wanna watch?" Gabriel asked, standing up and collecting their beers from the table instantly, grateful for the change in subject. "There's a Firefly marathon on SyFy."  
"Would you hate me if I said that I haven't seen that show?" Sam asked a little bit warily, knowing how defensive some people (especially his brother) got when it came to geeky things. "But, sure. That sounds great." Sam smiled and then made a small kissing noise with his mouth, scratching at Honey's ears.

 

"Well I won't lie and say I won't hold it against you," Gabriel teased as he hefted himself off of the couch, hooking his thumb into the waistband of his pants while he looked over Sam's DVD collection thoughtfully. "Because I do hold it against you. That show is amazing. Cowboys in Space! What's better than that? Nothing, I say."  
Sam snorted, as he happily mussed Homey's fur, pushing it this way and that, shaking her paws, and all but worshiping her little body with a silly grin on his face. Everything was so much better with dogs.

 

Even though he was fairly preoccupied with Honey and enjoying having a pet in his apartment for once, Sam seemed to find the time to look up at Gabriel. Okay, maybe stare at Gabriel. Maybe if the man had less idiosyncratic quirks it would be easier to ignore him as he looked around. For some inexplicable reason, even Gabe's snooping was more flamboyant and interesting than most anything other people did. So he watched as he idly played with Honey, trying hard to not make it look like he was staring too much.

 

Gabriel peered around as he went through the DVDs. He had never really allowed himself to actively look around Sam's house. Turned out he had an impressive collection of books and DVDs. Pictures hung on the wall or were stuck to the fridge, but he didn't seem to have many photos at all—if any. That, Gabriel, thought, was odd. Gabriel and Cas, though their family had cast them out for the most part, still kept the pictures of good times—like family vacations where they hadn't fought or birthday parties from when they were young. Sam, it seemed, didn't have much from before his college life. Gabriel nabbed one of the few photographs he could see from where it poked out from between two DVD boxes. 

 

Turning it over, Gabriel read the words "Sam and Jess—Halloween" written in curly feminine handwriting. Gabriel took a deep breath before he turned the photo over to see a much younger looking Sam dressed as... absolutely nothing, it seemed (unless Layer-Man was a thing?) kissing a pretty blonde dressed as a nurse.

 

"Hey... is this Jess?" he asked, as casually as he could. He held out the photo to Sam as he came over to sit down beside him once again, folding his legs up onto the couch while he reached out for the remote. Honey wiggled down off Sam's lap to settle instead into the Honey-sized bowl Gabriel had created with his legs. Gabriel tried not to make a big deal out of the picture but he felt somehow like he was just invading Sam's space, dredging up things that he'd forgotten about all for the sake of Gabriel's insatiable curiosity. 

 

Sam raised his eyebrows a little at the question and turned the picture around in his hands. His expression became a little nostalgic as memories renewed themselves in his head.

 

Halloween 2005, the weekend before his big Law School interview, and there was Jess, happily kissing him back. It was his last real relationship... All of the others were transitive and fairly unimportant in comparison, and then his career took off and left him relatively on his own.

 

"Yeah, it is..." He said, his voice a little softer than normal as he reached his hand toward Gabriel's lap to continue gently tousling Honey's fur. "She's gorgeous, huh?" Sam had a rather sad tone for the enamored words. "Some days I miss her a whole lot more than I should." He let out a small laugh and lifted his bottle to take a long sip of his beer. "I almost proposed to her. Had a ring 'n' everything. But then we got into a fight... A big one. And she didn't come home." 

 

Sam furrowed his brow for a few moments and then shook his head, trying to brush the bad images away. "I'm sorry. I know that you don't want to hear about it." He forced a smile as he put the photo on the coffee table and settled back down next to Gabriel, maybe a little closer than before so that he could reach Honey just a little bit better. At least, that's what he told himself.

 

Gabriel watched the sadness flicker over Sam's face and felt empathetically how much her leaving had hurt him. Yeah, Jessica was gorgeous but, in this instance, she wasn't very bright. Especially since Sam had thought of proposing, of spending his life with this woman, only for her to walk out on him.

 

Gabriel shook his head, his hand falling on Sam's thigh as he looked up to the man. "No, don't even apologize. I'm sorry. I'm nosy as hell." His hand warmed the instant he realized it was resting against Sam's thigh—he hadn't thought about it at first, just set it down.  
A quiet exhale slipped past Sam's lips and his expression softened exponentially when Gabriel's hand rested against his leg. Sam wanted to curl into Gabe like he would whenever he would have a bad day and the snuggler would come over, but it was the man's night off. It took some effort not to whine when Gabriel broke their contact, but it needed to be done; Sam couldn't let himself get dependent on the man for something other than sleep.

 

Gabriel's fingers spread a little. He left his hand there for a few long seconds before pulling back, slowly letting it fall to the space between them while Gabriel fumbled with his other hand to turn on the TV. They definitely needed a distraction.

 

Flickering over to SyFy, Gabriel only needed to see the first few seconds to know what episode they were watching. The scene opened with a beautiful panoramic shot where the dashing Captain Reynolds was buck-naked on the screen, speaking the words that Gabriel heard in his own head. "Yeah...That went well."

 

"Oh, perfect. That's Mal, or, uh, Captain Malcolm Reynolds," Gabriel explained excitedly as the story re-wound to 'three days earlier'. Sipping his beer, Gabriel continued to quietly explain the characters, sometimes eagerly with his hands waving around and sometimes subdued so that he could watch the TV and explain some history at the same time. By the middle of the episode Gabriel had drunk enough to be warm and comfortable beside Sam, their shoulders pressed together watching the episode, Gabriel's eyes fixed on the screen while the show played out. It was how he always got when he watched this program, sober or drunk... but having Sam against him seemed to make him that much more comfortable. Honey was asleep already, cradled in Gabriel's lap and made content by Sam's fingers stroking her ears. 

 

Gabriel talked because—well, because he never really had anyone to talk to. Honey was pleasant enough company but she lacked reaction or even the ability to communicate. Gabriel liked the back and forth, even if it was just Sam giving him a smile or nodding or asking a question. It was nice. Much nicer than some of his ‘nights off’ had gone. And it wasn't just dinner or the show or Honey being so comfortable in the apartment; it was Sam. His comforting presence and his warmth pressed in beside him were intoxicating, all but forcing Gabriel to lean into him. Why couldn't all his nights be like this? Good food, great TV, his wonderful dog and a good man...it was all he'd ever wanted, really.

 

Whenever Gabe spoke, Sam made sure to turn his head to listen, taking in every overexcited grin and every sparkle in his amber colored eyes. Sam assumed that the constant back and forth of his head was how he ended up pressed against Gabriel, attempting to watch some show that he couldn't get into because he was too preoccupied with watching Gabriel and petting Honey. "I'm going to keep your dog, Gabe." Sam warned in a tired tone, his hand stilling in the camel colored fur. "I really hope you don't mind."

 

Looking over to Sam, Gabriel chuckled. He stretched his arms up and over his head, draping them over the back of the couch. "Oh Sammy," he teased, gently, giving a shake of his head and a sly smirk. "I'm not gonna wake up tomorrow to find you've kidnapped my dog, am I? I kinda need her, you know..."

 

"Only time'll tell, Gabe." Sam quipped back lazily, focusing most of his attention on the dog between Gabriel's legs. He didn't want a dog so that he could have a pet. He wanted a dog so that he could have a companion. And Honey was nice. Gabriel was nicer, but he couldn't keep a human like he could a dog. If only he could. He let himself fall further against Gabriel. Contact was not taboo any other night and he found himself hoping that he hadn't stepped over any boundaries. He really couldn't help himself. Not, at least, when Gabriel stood for comfort and relaxation and everything that Sam wanted. Besides, leaning against the snuggler wasn't bad. And if he needed to pay the man a little extra on Sunday night as recompense for tonight, that would be okay. He'd discount it as a larger "tip" and everything would go back to normal.

 

"Why'd ya need her?" he asked softly, keeping the conversation going as the television filled the empty space. 

 

Gabriel held his breath, with Sam pressed into his side, filling up the bare space there with warmth and muscle. His weight was pleasant and comfortable. Gabriel watched with silent fascination as Sam doted on Honey, stroking her ears even while she slept soundly in Gabriel's lap. Letting out his air in a slow sigh, Gabriel looked down as Sam turned up, his hazel eyes droopy with sleep. Instinctively Gabriel reached up to comb back the hair on Sam's forehead, trailing through the silky strands. He hesitated only a moment judging  
Sam's reaction before smirking. It should be illegal to be so damn adorable at Sam's size.

 

"Well... she helped me by being around when I felt like I was alone." Dropping his hand to the dog's back, Gabriel felt her let out a little huff. He smiled before turning his warm golden gaze back to Sam. "We've both got nightmares Sammy. Not everyone knows what it's like to survive Hell and come back from it." And maybe that's what Jess had lacked. She didn't know what it was like to be terrified, to be shell-shocked and scared. Jess couldn't understand how weak it probably made Sam feel, but Gabriel did. Gabriel understood what it was like to wake up breathing as hard as if he'd been running all night, drenched in sweat and searching the darkness for the source of his nightmares. "Sometimes we need someone there when we feel like we're alone to remind us that we aren't. Not really."

 

Sam's brows knitted together empathetically at the revelation. It made sense for Gabriel to have nightmares, having been in the military and all, but Sam couldn't really wrap his mind around the fact that his savior might have needed some saving himself. "I'm really sorry, Gabe." Sam murmured in a quiet tone, moving closer to the man, as if attempting to comfort him and to protect him from a horror that was not there. "If I can... If I can do anything for you... Please, Gabe, tell me. You're the someone that keeps me sane, but I don't want you to suffer 'cause of it.

 

There he went again. Selfless to a fault. Gabriel chuckled lightly and continued to comb through Sam's hair, turning more fully towards him as they shifted and adjusted on the couch. Sam seemed to need more of him and Gabriel was too lost in those eyes to deny him. "I don't suffer Sam... I've got Honey and my brother and—and you." Swallowing, Gabriel bit down on his lower lip his fingers stilling and knotting in Sam's hair and staring down at him. He was just so gorgeous and kind and perfect. How could Gabriel ever hope to have something like Sam all to himself?

 

Even though Sam was much larger than Gabriel, he did not mind taking the role typically reserved for smaller people. Resting in a sort of half embrace, easily letting his head loll back and press into Gabriel's hand, he felt safe and warm.

 

"Sam..." Gabriel hesitated, his voice stalling on his words as he leaned forward. He slowly closed the distance between them, his free hand coming up to touch Sam's cheek, thumb brushing over the skin there. "You already helped to save me. Now I'm here to save you."  
Sam's eyes fluttered open when he felt Gabriel come closer to his face and he allowed his lips to curl into a soft smile. He made a small noise as he picked himself off the couch a little so that he could focus on the words that meant so much more than they should have.

 

He opened his mouth, as if he was going to thank Gabriel again, but his words evaporated at the light touch on his cheek. He lifted his own hand and threaded it through the smaller man's shorter hair, slowly scratching his scalp as a sort of half nervous tic. 

 

They were so close and Gabe was giving him so much, and damn, those two beers felt like six. Sam surged forward, eliminating the few inches of personal space that they still had, and pressed his lips against Gabriel's. 

 

For just a moment Gabriel froze completely. This shouldn't be happening, couldn't be happening. Perhaps he'd blame the beer in the morning, maybe even apologize for this, but when Gabriel leaned in, at last returning Sam's kiss, he didn't regret it. Not even a tiny bit. His fingers tightened imperceptibly on Sam's face, holding him still while Gabriel kissed him deeply, eagerly. His head spun.

 

Sam let his eyes slip shut again for a moment as his mouth moved once... Twice... Three times against the other man's before he pulled away and nosed into Gabe's cheek.

 

When Sam pulled away, Gabriel followed him. The loss of that mouth was too much to bear for just a second. Opening his eyes, Gabriel stared at the brunette in his arms, a mix of emotions passing through him so fast he thought he'd be sick. "Sam..." he breathed, his voice low and a little rough. It was all he could say, Sam's spontaneous kiss having thrown Gabriel off track in avoiding this very situation... but now that the moment had happened anyway, Gabriel couldn't imagine going back to how things were before.  
Sam hummed softly at the sound of his name and picked his head up a little bit, like a dog who had just been called by his owner. His mouth opened with a quiet exhale and then Gabriel’s covered it again.

 

Pushing in against the other man, Gabriel turned his head to find Sam's lips, wrapping his arms around Sam's neck and holding onto him while he returned the kiss that had been so sweetly given. There was a soft jingle, and Honey's warm weight left his lap, but still Gabriel didn't break their kiss, gripping a handful of Sam's hair to hold onto him as he deepened it feeling the long felt ache in his chest pounding away till it hurt from excitement. This was happening. This was actually happening.

 

The kiss was a strange mix of emotions and desire and Sam found it rather extremely intoxicating. The smooth slide of their lips combined with the needy but reassuring half hold around his neck and the gentle tugs of his hair made Sam groan inaudibly. He pressed back against Gabriel, urging the man to recline a little onto the arm of the sofa so that he could lay halfway on top of him.

 

Gabriel moved with surprising ease as Sam crawled his way up his body, covering Gabriel's slight shape with his own. With Honey elsewhere, Gabriel unfolded his legs, parting them around Sam instead, cradling him between his knees as Sam leaned up and spoke.

 

"You even taste sweet." He laughed softly against Gabriel's lips. He slotted their lips back together with a gentle grin.

 

The words were so incredibly cheesy... and Gabriel ate it up, grinning into the next kiss. "Funny, we didn't even get to have dessert."

 

Sam snorted a short, amused laugh at Gabriel's words as he pressed into the man's body in response to the gentle hands. 

 

Gabriel's hands, slipping slowly over Sam's shoulders, mapped him out in a way Gabriel never had before. Over the shoulders and down Sam's chest, Gabriel pressed up into Sam as his arms came down to circle the other's waist instead, pulling their bodies together, chest-to-chest, stomach-to-stomach.

 

Sam closed his eyes again and focused on the way that Gabriel touched him. The man's hands had gone from the comforting embrace that he was used to something far more erotic and meaningful too.  
"I mean..." Sam started in a lazy tone and ducked his head to press his lips against Gabriel's collarbone as he settled in between the legs. "If you'd prefer dessert over this... I think that we can make that happen."

 

Gabriel liked this. It was half serious, half silly and altogether perfect. The breathless laughter between kisses eased the tension from Gabriel's body, making him the perfect mold to Sam's shape, holding him nestled between his legs. Breathing in deeply when Sam's lips found the skin just above his t-shirt Gabriel's hand gripped him a little tighter, his knees locked in at his side in a powerful grip. "Mm-mm... Unless dessert is you dipped in chocolate, I'll just save myself the sticky mess and take you first..." Gabriel arched against Sam's lips, encouraging him to keep going. 

 

Sam exhaled a soft moan at the tighter tug and let his lips open so that he could mouth against the gentle curve of Gabriel's bone. He wiggled his body a bit and pressed closer, wanting to put himself as far into Gabriel's hold as he could. He hummed at Gabriel's words. No one had been interested in "taking him first" in a long time and it felt good to imagine that maybe Gabriel really did. "'Nother day, then." He murmured softly as a compromise before he returned to his mindless lipping.

 

It was incredible to think that not too long ago Gabriel had been arguing against this, in his head. This—whatever this was—was amazing. Sam was all hard muscle and soft skin. Well at least the skin that Gabriel could get his hands to. His fingers graced the line of skin that appeared when his shirt rode up, padding under it and pushing it up higher and higher till his hands were spread wide over Sam's chest, returning to trail down his sides as he writhed beneath the other man. How could ever have thought this was a bad idea?  
Sam pressed into Gabe's hands where he could, eagerly eating up the attention, and made low, breathless noises when skin rubbed against skin. If his mouth had not been otherwise preoccupied, Sam thought that he would have been able to say something coherent, but he didn't even attempt to try, afraid if what he might accidentally let slip. 

 

The way Sam pressed into his hands made Gabriel wonder how he could be so starved for affection. Somewhere in the back of his head, his analytical mind wondered if it was just because of the conversation about Jess (knowing she had been Sam's last real relationship before this dry spell while he worked himself into the ground). Or was this something spontaneous, something in the heat of the moment that had them pressed together on the couch taking tastes and touches of each other?

 

Gabriel breathed deeply at the breathless noises Sam made, biting down on his lip when the collar of his shirt stopped Sam’s mouth. Gabriel's hands abandoned their exploration of Sam in favor of tugging at the offensive fabric, pulling it up and over his head, tossing it off to God knew where before his fingers began to claw at Sam's shirt, trying to pull it off as well.

 

Stealing a kiss before the neck of the shirt was tugged over Sam's head, Gabriel laughed breathlessly, watching him with a smile. "You okay?" he asked for reassurance, his hands slipping back down along Sam's chest, pausing only to circle the strange tattoo over his heart before slipping around him to rake his fingertips down his back, dipping just the tips into the waistband of his pants, kissing along his jaw in encouragement.

 

Sam nodded as he lifted himself up a little to run a hand through his hair, straightening the puff that the static from his shirt caused. He laughed softly, dipping his head to press another kiss to Gabriel's mouth. "Yeah, Gabe." Sam raised a hand and played with Gabriel's hair, fondling it between his fingers as he lowered his body back down, arching his hips closer to the other man as hands barely slipped under his pants. "I'm more than okay." He murmured and nosed Gabriel's chin up to mouth along the smooth canvas of his throat. "You?" Sam wouldn't have felt right if he didn't ask, but he was fairly certain that he knew the answer.

 

Gabriel lifted his head at Sam's gentle insistence and choked on the small sound that left him while Sam's mouth continued down his neck, over his pulse point (which practically pounded with how fast his heart was beating). He was still in shock, a laugh leaving him as he nodded. "Much, much more than okay...I just—had no idea you were into guys." Sam had always come off as perfectly hetero, reinforced by the sight of him kissing Jess in that old picture... so to suddenly have this gorgeous piece of mancake trying to wedge their hips together...

 

Sam's entire body shook when he chuckled, taking a moment to nuzzle into the indent beside Gabriel's Adam's apple. "I don't see why I should limit myself." He murmured in an amused tone

 

Wriggling his feet free, Gabriel drew his knees up to free up more room only to gasp when Sam slotted so perfectly between his legs, feeling his own hard-on pressing up into Sam. Embarrassment flushed his cheeks and Gabriel reached up to grip a handful of Sam's hair holding him there against his neck before rolling his hips up slowly to grind back into Sam's gentle pressure. "Not...gonna complain," he murmured, his eyes closing as that dreamy sort of lust began to fill his head with fog. "Wanted you—for so long..." 

 

Sam opened his mouth to quip something about Gabe talking too much. The only thing that managed to come out of his lips was his own drawn out moan as the other man started to rock against him. One of his hands went to Gabriel's side and kneaded the bare skin as he started to slowly grind their hips together.

 

He pressed open mouth kisses to Gabriel's neck in an "I agree, but I can't talk" sort of way. After a few moments, Sam pulled off, panting heavily, mostly from the overwhelming arousal, and attempted to string together a subject and a verb to form a sentence.

 

Gabriel actually whimpered when Sam pulled back to kiss his chin and speak.  
Sam shook his head. "All you had... to do was ask, Gabe." he managed in a lower voice, turning his head up a little to kiss the man's chin. Sam found that he really liked the way Gabriel buried his hand in his hair... Like he was actually something special... Like Gabriel might have wanted to keep him for a few more nights.

 

Gripping Sam's hair a little more, Gabriel held him in place to drop his head down and capture those lips once more in a dizzying kiss, pulling away with half-lidded gold eyes and a smile. "I'll keep that in mind..."

 

There would be time for that later. Right now Gabriel was certain he might just lose it just being pinned beneath Sam's solid weight, feeling the bulge in his jeans match the one in Gabriel's. Sliding his hand around Sam's waist, he sighed, reaching for the button and zipper, flicking it open with clever fingers before he pulled back specifically to watch Sam's reaction as he thumbed down the zipper. "Can I...?" He asked innocently, dotting the corners of Sam's lips with two small kisses before he pulled back, licking his lips. Sam tasted pretty damn sweet himself.

 

Sam nearly whimpered at the question and pushed forward to slot their lips together again, nodding with wide, almost pleading eyes to encourage Gabriel. "Y-yeah." He murmured in a sort of wrecked tone and cocked his hips towards the other man to express his sincere interest in the progression of their actions. Sam nudged his head back into Gabriel's hand and brought his own up to cup the other man's cheek, his pupils almost completely dilated from lust. "Please, Gabe."

 

Gabriel swallowed his own moan of delight as Sam reached for him, looking up to catch his eyes—just slivers of their hazel glory as he looked down at him. Licking his lips enticingly, he nodded and clicked the zipper down slowly, taking his hands from Sam's hair to tug down his jeans and underwear inch by inch, bearing even more beautiful tanned skin to his fingers. 

 

With his jeans halfway down his ass Gabriel leaned up to kiss Sam long and sweet, drawing their shapes back together, one hand low on Sam's back the other fingering beneath Sam's shorts past the mass of hair to curl his fingers around him, feeling the thickness to his cock before he freed him, glancing between their bodies at him with a wicked smirk. "I always wondered why you needed special shorts," he teased good-naturedly, stroking Sam gently just one or two passes, enough to make him throb before Gabriel's hands left him returning to take that perfect ass into his hands. Pushing down the jeans ever further to grab himself two handfuls he pulled Sam purposefully into him so Gabriel could feel the heavy press of Sam's bared cock against the bulge in his own jeans.

 

Groaning, the blonde man watched on with half-lidded eyes as he began to rock them together again, giving Sam the friction of denim against his sensitive cock while Gabriel could feel his own hardness straining, leaking enough he could feel a little wet patch on his thigh, eager to be free and join Sam in beautiful almost-nudity. "Sam..."

 

Sam kissed Gabriel back with his eyes closed and all of his efforts put into making the kiss as neat as he possibly could while –oh, God. All of his thoughts flew out the window when Gabriel wrapped his hand around Sam's cock and started to pump. He let out the most wanton, needy noise and roughly kissed the teasing smirk out of Gabe's mouth, not wanting to have to come up with a witty response while he got lost in the most wonderful sensations.

 

Sam rolled his hips in response to the rough friction from the denim and panted soft moans against Gabriel's lips because damn things were going so much better than good. 

 

"Fuck, Gabe." He muttered as he started to slow his hips so that he could regain the part of his brain that would allow him to remove Gabriel's clothing. "You're makin' me act like some horny fucking teenager." Sam half accused as he dipped a hand into Gabriel's pants, fondling the warm, soft skin of the man's lower abdomen before he popped the button and shimmied the jeans down. He stopped tugging the fabric down when skin started to rub against skin. Another loud, fairly pornographic moan came from his mouth as he rocked their mostly bare hips together to get the edge off.

 

Gabriel relished his ability to render Sam incapable of speech for a few scant minutes, even with Sam kissing him stupid in the process. Hell, especially with Sam kissing him stupid. Unable to retort charmingly Gabriel allowed himself to be devoured while his hands gripped for Sam's ass, one of the softer parts of him, before Sam pulled away and cursed his name so enticingly it sent a shot of pleasure down his spine.

 

"It's the c-couch," Gabe started, his words stuttering as Sam's strong sure fingers found his jeans tugging at them till they slid down his hips and Gabriel arched and writhed to help him. But he wasn't even free yet when Sam rocked against him, feeling the wetness from the head of his cock smear against his stomach but offered no relief to Gabriel's cock still trapped in its prison of denim. "I haven't—I haven't made out on a couch since I was fifteen," he confessed breathlessly, one hand digging his nails into Sam's back while the other dipped down to finally reach in and pull free his cock making the slide of his jeans that much easier down his thighs. 

 

His hands returned to Sam's ass, gripping him hard and bringing their hips together. Gabriel almost choked at how fucking good it felt to feel the slide of Sam's cock against his own, their skin slick with precome and bodies far too hot to handle. "Bed," Gabriel rasped when it became too much, his hands holding Sam close but no longer rocking up into him. "We need a bed..."

 

Sam moaned helplessly when Gabriel pressed their naked hips together. Everything was wet in the best possible way and Sam felt like his skin was going to burn off from the contact. He dropped his head besides Gabriel's and panted warm, damp puffs into the man's hair as he rolled their bodies together. Sam groaned when Gabe stopped rocking, words completely escaping him in favor of the slightly primitive grunts. His pelvis stuttered when 'bed' registered in his head and he reluctantly started to pull away, pressing gentle, pious kisses all over Gabriel's sweat-dampened body.

 

Sam removed himself from Gabriel's arms and stood, his motions significantly slowed from the lack of blood in his head. "C'mon then." Sam murmured, reaching out to yank off the rest of Gabriel's jeans before he threaded his arms around the other man, between Gabe's thighs and calves and through the crook of his elbow, behind his back and through the other elbow. Once the man was off of the couch, Sam turned his head and pressed soft kisses along Gabe's clavicle, as if the man was something to praise and worship. 

 

It was like moving through molasses. Watching Sam pull away, Gabriel's breath stuttered under the small kisses Sam was leaving like a trail down his body. For a few long minutes Gabriel forgot what it was like to breathe, just staring at this gorgeous, incredible man who was taking the time to strip him bare. So was it any wonder he actually gasped when Sam dipped down to lift the smaller man into his arms? Gabriel's face flushed a perfect shade of crimson as he threw his arms around Sam's neck to balance himself only serving to actually pull the brunette closer encouraging those sweet kisses to his collarbone.  
But in spite of it all Gabriel had to admit the princess handling was hotter than it should have been.

 

He was ex-military! He'd seen war and been in gunfights and fistfights and blown up a building for Pete's sake! So why was it such a damn turn on to get picked up and ceremoniously carried to the bedroom they'd shared for upwards of six months. This time, however, they were going to bed with no intention of sleeping. Not yet anyway.  
Leaning forward, Gabriel kissed every bit of Sam's head and neck he could reach, one of his hands reaching down to stroke smooth lines over his spine then up into his hair before Gabriel gave in to those sweet kisses and let his head fall back with a groan. "Fuck... Sam..."

 

The way that Gabriel moaned his name, the wrecked tone and the soft caresses on his back made Sam stumble a little, his legs half threatening to give out from the overwhelming arousal. "God, Gabe." He murmured against the damp skin, his eyes closed and his lips pressed against Gabriel's neck. "I've been thinkin' about this for far too long." 

 

Sam began to walk again, turning around when he approached his bedroom and opening it with his back. His eyes fluttered open as his mouth moved up to suckle at Gabriel's chin and lower lip with a gentle smile. "You're absolutely gorgeous, Gabriel." He headed towards the bed. "Gorgeous and wonderful and I'd be so lost without you." Sam set the other man onto the bed and stepped back for a moment, raking his eyes over the familiar form and appreciating, for once, the simplicity of his life.

 

He slowly climbed onto the already rumpled duvet and put himself between Gabriel's legs, lowering himself to kiss him again. "If... If we continue... We can still..." Sam started in a whisper, torn between having a night with Gabe and having many nights next to Gabe. It wasn't really fair to have to choose between sex and sleep, and, with his raging hard-on, Sam was sure that he'd choose sex, so he wanted to see if maybe, just maybe, they could continue one way or another after the night progressed. He didn't finish his thought, all cognitive function lost as he began to gently roll his hips against Gabriel's, unable to withstand the temptation.

 

Hearing the soft praise falling from Sam's lips turned Gabriel into melted butter, feeling like this had to be a dream. No one ever called him gorgeous. Cute, maybe. Adorable and sweet were often the terms used, usually mentioning his small stature and bubbly disposition but no one had ever called him gorgeous and meant it. And Sam surely meant it; there was no denying the look in his hazel eyes while he laid Gabriel out on the bed. Opening his legs to invite him in, Gabriel reached out to tug Sam back into him, wrapping one arm around his waist to pull him close, about to lean up and claim those lips once more with his own when Sam began to speak. The hesitant words gave the blonde man pause, his heavy gold eyes flickering up to see Sam—beautiful, wonderful Sam—looking at him with such worry in his eyes. 

 

"Sam..." he breathed, reaching up to grip handfuls of the brunette's hair pulling him close to kiss him powerfully, deeply as Gabriel drew his knees up to Sam's hips. He wanted no doubt left in Sam's mind that he wanted this... and not just tonight either. He wanted Sam every day if he could have it, and if Sam wanted him, well that was just the icing on the cake. But Gabriel's thoughts were scrambled almost as soon as Sam's body rolled into his own eliciting a groan that echoed through both their mouths and only drove Gabriel onward. Hooking his legs around Sam's hips he'd pull himself up and Sam down as he reacted to the touch of hot, wet skin on skin. It was embarrassing to need something so badly but Sam was here and ready and Gabriel was going to just die if they stopped now. "Don't stop..."

 

Sam's vision blackened at the edges when Gabriel tugged on his hair and he grunted softly as he attempted to move his head in a way that would let him kiss Gabe better and not take too much of the pressure on his hair away. He eagerly kissed the groan away as he pressed his own hips down, grinding their bodies together in a frenzy of hormones and carnal desires.

 

He lifted a hand from Gabriel's body and brought it to the man's face so that he could hold Gabe while they kissed and frantically humped each other. After a few, long moments of just rolling against the bed, Sam pulled away from the other man and dropped his head next to Gabriel's ear. 

 

"Can I take you apart, Gabe?" He asked softly, turning his head to mouth at the man's earlobe. "I'll put you back together, I promise."

 

Gabriel couldn't help but feel like a teenager again, even though he knew he'd have already come embarrassingly fast all over Sam's stomach were that the case. It had to be the surge of desire, the delight of exploration that came with having something for the first time, it was intense and powerful and wonderful and Gabriel was already drunk on Sam. Their bodies dipped and rolled in perfect countermeasure, their hips slotting together to send light sparking behind his eyelids. Breathing heavily in the absence of those sweet lips Gabriel heard Sam speak as if from far away though he could feel the hot breath against his ear.

 

"Yes," he panted, his voice broken already while he sent his fingers down Sam's back and up again with his nails, leaving thin red lines over his skin in his own delight. "Yes… please."

 

Sam groaned softly and slowed their hips, snaking a hand between their bodies to gently stroke Gabriel's cock as he lifted himself up with the other. "Why haven't we done this before?" He asked in a low, wrecked voice, pressing two or three or seven kisses to the man's face before he scrambled off to fumble with the dresser drawer. 

 

Sam rummaged around the very unorganized space and pulled his hand out a minute later with a fairly unused tube of lube and a condom. The bed dipped under his weight as he crawled back towards the other man and he placed the items down beside Gabriel's head as he made his way back between the man's legs. "If, uh," Sam started, unsure if Gabriel had ever done anything like this with someone of the same gender before, "If you need me to stop... Just tell me." He said and halved his body to press another gentle kiss to Gabe's lips. 

 

With a loud 'shhlick', Sam popped the cap off of the tube and squeezed some of the gel onto his fingers. He trailed down Gabriel's chest, leaving ghosts of soft kisses in his path, until he was sitting upright and able to stare at Gabe while he dropped his hand down, going agonizingly slow. He let out his pent up breath when his index finger pressed against Gabriel's hole and he bent once more to press another kiss to Gabe's naval, looking for approval before he started to do anything real.

 

With a gasp Gabriel's hips canted up into the touch of Sam's hand, his capacity for breathing severely limited all of a sudden making it impossible for him to respond though his mind was asking himself the same question. He'd denied himself of this for so long—and not just with Sam. No one seemed to spark his interest anymore. No one's body could set him on fire the way imagining Sam's did. And nothing could compare to finally getting what he'd been dreaming so long of.

 

When Sam moved away Gabriel was vaguely aware of what he was doing, lamenting silently the loss of his hand on his cock which was achingly hard and throbbing in time with his heart which was still lodged in his throat. This was happening, this was really going to happen. While Sam was stretched out beside him Gabriel took his opportunity to send his hands over Sam's body, detailing his chest and stomach while he pressed kisses into every available stretch of skin he could reach. Why had they never done this before? It would have been so easy to turn into Sam in the dark of the bedroom and leave kisses wherever he wanted until the tall man was a writhing mess on the bed beneath him. 

 

But instead Gabriel was the writhing mess, especially when Sam returned to kissing his way down the smaller man's body making him press up into each of them on Sam's way down, down, down. His heart lodged in his throat, Gabriel choked when Sam pulled back to speak. Stop? How could he possibly want this to stop? Pushing himself up onto his elbows when Sam's lube-slicked finger hesitated at his puckered hole it made Gabriel actually growl that melted away to a moan. "If you stop now I think I may have to kill you..."

 

Sam laughed low at the threat and dipped his tongue into Gabriel's belly button as he pushed his finger in to the first knuckle and then pulled it out. He repeated the shallow motion a few times, his moaning growing in volume as his hips began to ungulate against the bed, before he pushed in a little further. "Fuck, Gabe." Sam murmured and pushed himself up a little so that he could mouth on the other man's collarbone. "You're beautiful." The praise came out thick and low, as if Sam was talking dirty, but there was a clear undertone of pure adoration. 

 

His finger pumped in and out of the hole, working the other man open as slowly as he could because Sam wanted to enjoy it. He wanted to watch Gabriel's seams burst one by one and to see the man melt into a mewling puddle on his bed. "I wish I could have you like this every night. I'd never leave your side." Sam whispered as he tilted his head up, his lips ghosting Gabriel's sweat dampened Adam's apple. "I don't think I'd ever leave this apartment."

 

A curse was lost on Gabriel's lips when Sam called him beautiful again in such a rich, deep voice. The words sounded like they should be darker, dirtier, especially with Sam's finger wiggling its way into his ass, prying him open inch by inch. Lifting his knees up to frame Sam's shape Gabriel's eyes were closed, rolling beneath their lids while he exercised all possible control to keep from fucking down onto that single digit. 

 

Because he wanted to—God knew he wanted to rock his hips down to feel him slip in all the way, wanted to feel him add another and hell even a third finger to fill him up and take him eagerly out of his mind. 

 

But Sam was going so fucking slow. Gabriel was certain he planned to drive him crazy and if it wasn't just his finger driving him wild it was the feel of his mouth laving over his collarbone, sliding up to kiss over his Adam's apple. It bobbed as Gabriel swallowed hard, the kisses burning on his neck and his hips positively aching now when the poor man gave in to desire, pushing himself down to meet Sam's finger while Gabriel tangled his fingers into Sam's hair keeping him there wanting to feel so much more than he was being given. 

 

"Fuck...then don't—" he stammered, catching his breath long enough to nose under Sam's and kiss him deeply, gripping the hair in his hands until he could feel the ache in his chest that demanded he breathe and he pulled away. "Don't leave. Stay here with me. Just for right now."

 

Sam gasped as Gabriel tugged on his hair and groaned as he rolled into the sweet contact. His breath hitched when Gabriel's lips moved against his own and he rocked his hips down, exploiting his unhindered range of motion. He moaned into Gabe's mouth at the request and pressed into him with his finger a little bit more confidently.

 

"I won't leave you." He vowed in a whisper and kissed Gabriel again, attempting to focus both of them on the smooth draw of their lips and not the second finger sliding into the warm, tight heat. Sam cursed low and let out a small noise that was something between a pent up whimper and an absolutely wrecked moan. "God dammit, Gabriel." Sam muttered and dropped his head against Gabe's cheek, laughing softly at his current state. "I'm gonna drive myself crazy and you're not helpin'." He accused and turned his head so that he could press gentle kisses around the man's face as he began to scissor his fingers inside of Gabriel.

 

Gabriel opened his eyes between kisses at the sound of Sam's words. I won't leave you. It sounded like more than just a simple statement, the words laced with something deeper than Gabriel could bear to fathom when Sam followed them with a kiss like that. One of his hands slipped from Sam's hair to cup his cheek, deciding to leave the wondering for later and lost himself in the feel and taste of Sam on his lips. Gripping his lover's hair Gabriel tugged it again, experimentally. Twice now the action had seemed to unhinge Sam further, lowering his inhibitions and making him make sounds like that half-whimper, half-moan Gabriel heard briefly when Sam pulled back to chuckle on his ear claiming insanity. He was being driven insane? When Gabriel was being scissored open so nicely? The wriggle of Sam's fingers making his ass flex around them and his hips buck forward with need and desire?

 

"Baby," Gabriel chuckled darkly close to Sam's ear. "I haven't even begun to drive you crazy."

 

Gabriel lifted his legs, wrapping them around his lover's back pulling Sam as close as he could, reaching down between them with both hands to grasp Sam's cock. For just a moment he held the impressive length between his fingers stroking him in short tender tugs, just enough to make his hands slick. He vowed to drive Sam insane.

 

Taking Sam's lips for his own, Gabriel licked into his mouth, mapping it with his tongue while he laced his fingers together creating a tunnel of fingers and thrust it down over Sam's swollen and leaky head. Biting down on the brunette's lower lip the smaller man hummed while he guided his fingers slowly up and down Sam's cock, flexing and rippling his fingers. Tightening around the base, loose and rippling closer to the top. Gabriel could hardly breathe. He wanted so bad he wasn't sure how he could last much longer. But he had to...god he had to have this cock inside him, had to feel Sam filling him to the brim and while his fingers worked diligently to open him Gabriel knew they'd never do the trick. ""F-Fuck...like that, Sammy baby?"

 

The noise that came from Sam's mouth was positively inhuman when Gabriel tugged on his hair again. His fingers curled, rubbing the inner wall with a not so gentle touch. Sam whimpered again at the words and struggled to get himself pressed as close to Gabriel as he could seeking both the fulfillment of the man's salacious promise and comfort for his wrecked mind. 

 

Sam was sure that he could have responded if he really wanted to and that it was his choice to opt to make a painfully erotic moan in place of legitimate words. But as soon as Gabriel began to stroke his cock, his entire thought process was wiped clean. Occasionally, Sam sputtered a low swear into Gabe's mouth, using words and phrases that could have ended his law career in a single moment.

 

He slipped a third finger inside of Gabriel when the man spoke, his hips stuttering into Gabe's hands at the pet names. Sam's free hand darted between them again for a quick minute to stroke the man's cock a few times as he panted out Gabriel's name. "Just fucking like that." He groaned, pulling his mouth away for a moment so that he could cover Gabe's lips with his own. "Gabe, I want you. Please." Sam asked, as if the man would deny him after they both had gotten so worked up. 

 

Every sound that left Sam's lips was sweeter than any candy, more beautiful than a heavenly choir. Just knowing that he could elicit such gorgeous sounds from Sam made Gabriel high off them, smiling up to those little curses until he matched them at the press of that third finger. Writhing back onto them the blonde thought he could get the upper hand but he was sorely mistaken when Sam's fingers closed around his cock giving him those few short strokes that made Gabriel's whole body go rigid, choking on a cry while his whole body stiffened beneath him.

 

"Want—want you," Gabriel whimpered, arching his back and breathing in sharply as he clung to the last threads of sanity he had left. Hands trembling, Gabriel released his grip around Sam, reaching out to take Sam's hand from his cock, locking his legs around the bigger man's waist to hold him as still as possible while Gabriel struggled to come back from the brink. "S-slow down, cowboy." he breathed with a small chuckle as the hot rush of pleasure finally bled away and he could focus again on Sam's utterly gorgeous face. Kissing over Sam's lips gently Gabriel combed back his hair and gathered it at the nape of his neck before he tugged it back, kissing and nibbling beneath Sam's jaw and down the stretch of his throat. 

 

"Get inside me," he groaned into the hollow of his throat, nipping little red stars into his neck while he relaxed his legs again, fucking himself down onto those three fingers relishing in the burn of the stretch. "Want you so fucking bad Sam..."

 

Sam melted around Gabriel's form as the man squirmed and worked himself underneath the larger body. With his head beside Gabriel's, panting short puffs into the blonde hair, Sam started to slow down, conforming to the unspoken signal to stutter to a half as his hand was taken away from the hot skin. When Gabriel directly told him to slow down, Sam whimpered softly in protest as he stilled the hand inside of the smaller man, afraid that he was going to call everything off.

 

But the legs did not loosen in the slightest and Sam attempted to turn his brain back on to understand what it was that Gabriel wanted. He nodded slowly as the words processed, staring deep into the honey colored eyes, and he opened his mouth to concede to taking it back a few notches when the man's hand threaded through his hair and tugged again. Yet another low interjection slipped past his lips as Gabriel started to mouth against his body. Sam attempted to look down as he felt Gabe start to pump himself on his fingers and he groaned quietly when the gentle bob of the man's hips became too present.

 

He reached forward with his free hand, blindly groping near the man's head for the condom. By the time that the packaging touched his finger, Sam already had it unwrapped and unceremoniously slid it onto his cock. He removed his three fingers and lined himself up, keeping the tip at the edge of Gabriel's hole just to make sure he could just press into his snuggler.

 

"I wish you could see yourself, Gabe. You are so incredibly beautiful when you're so wrecked." Sam murmured and closed the distance that had come between their bodies. When their lips met, Sam pushed in, helplessly moaning into Gabriel's mouth at the warm constriction.

 

"You keep saying that—" Gabriel whispered as Sam lowered that incredible shape over him covering almost every inch of the snuggler beneath him. "But you're the gorgeous one here." He loved this, fuck he loved Sam...Feeling the gentle nudging pressure at his hole Gabriel let out all the air he had into Sam's lips willing his body to relax accepting the press of Sam's cock inside him. 

 

His moan met Sam's in a symphony of sound and Gabriel's eyes fluttered shut as his hips twitched under the stretch of Sam inside him--oh god he was inside him. It was better than he'd ever dreamed, imagining this a sorry substitute for the real deal. Wrapping his arms around Sam's neck, Gabriel held very still, kissing Sam through the mild discomfort (surprised that even after three fucking fingers Sam still had to stretch him to fit) and breaking away now and again to breathe. But it wasn't until Sam was fully sheathed in the impossibly tight heat of Gabriel's ass that the blonde man would pull away, letting his head fall back with a deep throaty groan. "God... Dammit Sam..."

 

Sam panted quietly into Gabriel's mouth as they kissed, groaning softly as the man's body flexed around him. He moaned a little too loudly when their hips bumped together and gently tugged on Gabe's lower lip. Everything was so damn hot and so damn slow and Sam absolutely loved it. 

 

When Gabriel dropped his head back, Sam moved to suck on the smooth skin of Gabriel's Adam's apple. He focused on the suction in an attempt to distract himself from starting to pulse his hips. He lasted just about as long as it took Gabriel to moan out his name. The way that the simple three-letter word fell off of Gabe's tongue was far too much for him and he slowly drew back his hips. The ribbed pull from Gabriel's muscles elicited even more salacious moans from the lawyer's lips and he whined almost inaudibly as he pressed back in. He wasn't giving Gabriel a whole lot of time to adjust, but he needed to walk the fine line between slow and too fucking slow. 

 

"God, Gabe, you make my name sound so good." Sam murmured and kissed up Gabe's neck to his lips. 

 

Gabriel hissed when Sam pulled back from him even those few short inches making him burn. His body seemed to be uncertain what it really wanted—when Sam was pressed inside him he was full almost to the point it hurt only when he pulled away his ass clamped down around him trying to hold him still and keep him from escaping. 

 

Drawing his knees up pressing his legs into Sam's side Gabriel's nails dug into the available skin beneath his palms while he returned the kiss Sam gave him. It was perfect—more than perfect if it was possible to feel the rough way Sam pulled back only to sink once more into the warm, impossibly tight heat inside Gabriel. But even as close as they were it still wasn't enough...

 

Gabriel gasped and moaned his way through those first few thrusts, keeping his eyes closed while he adjusted, wriggling beneath Sam when the discomfort finally gave way to pleasure, one particular thrust sending it lancing white-hot down Gabriel's back making him arch suddenly. Crying out, Gabriel was suddenly throbbing all over, his legs locked tight behind Sam's back and for a second he actually had to remember what had happened. "Oh fuck no..." he murmured certain that Sam would use this newfound knowledge to his benefit and so Gabriel decided it was time to turn the tides.

 

Reaching up to tug Sam's hair at the nape of the neck Gabriel crushed their mouths together, feasting eagerly with lips and teeth and tongue while he used his lower body strength to flip the larger man to his side and onto his back where Gabriel could climb up over him. For a second he sat still, just breathing past the pulsing desire rushing through his shape. He was not going to give in first...not if he could help it. Now in the more advantageous position, Gabriel leaned over Sam, his hands pressing down into his chest for leverage as he lifted his hips up slowly before squirming his way back down, groaning aloud at the feel of Sam filling him again. Slowly up and back down again Gabriel swallowed hard starting up a slow rhythm. This was good; he could handle this for now. 

 

"I've got you—" he murmured to Sam. After a few minutes of rocking into him gently, Gabriel settled his hands on either side of the brunette's head. He'd pulled back so that just the head of Sam's cock was resting inside him, holding there before smiling down to his gorgeous partner wickedly. "Just hold on." Suddenly Gabriel's hips snapped down sheathing Sam completely and it didn't stop there. By the time Sam got used to the feel of Gabriel around him it was gone leaving him slick and cooled by the air in the room only to return to the blazing heat of Gabriel's ass as seconds later he was fucking himself back down onto Sam.

 

Sam whined softly when he realized that Gabriel had taken most of the control from him, but he did not voice his protests. Besides, Gabe started to move quick enough and Sam got to watch, which really wasn't a bad alternative. His head fell back when Gabriel began to rock himself down on Sam's cock and his Adam's apple bobbed lazily as he swallowed. One of Sam's hands reached out to the Gabriel and settled on his waist, gently kneading the skin beneath but letting the other man set the pace. 

 

Sam moaned Gabriel's name and lifted his head a little bit so that he could memorize the way that the smaller man looked. He whimpered when Gabe almost pulled completely off and stared at him with wide, half worried eyes for a few, short seconds. Then there was heat and pressure and Sam tightened his grip on Gabriel's hip as a loud, surprised groan was pulled from his lips. 

 

Then it was cold and empty and Sam mewled silently until the whine turned into yet another moan. He cursed low when his vision became mottled from pleasure and his free hand darted up to clasp loosely around Gabriel's cock as he dropped his head back again. Sam let Gabriel's body do the stroking, his hand going as fast as their hips so that they would be getting fairly the same amount of stimulation.

 

Gabriel hissed Sam's tight grip on his hip. Through his half-lidded eyes he watched Sam swallow, the way his head tilted back as he pushed up to meet Gabriel's eager thrusts, his toes curling when Sam's strong hand closed around his cock stroking him in rhythm. All of it was perfect and all of it was Sam. "Y—you like that?" Gabriel choked on his words, his voice strained with Sam's hand on his cock stroking him in rhythm, getting Gabriel to add a twist and a bit of a roll to his hips trying to take back the upper hand.

 

"Fuck, yes." Sam groaned and pulled his head up a little bit to stare at the scene in front of him. It was good to see someone coming apart because of him. It was good to see Gabriel come apart because of him. And, damn, it was good to come apart himself.

 

Biting down on his lip Gabriel reached out to take Sam's hand from his cock, lacing their fingers together instead to pin the larger man's hands above his head while Gabriel reclined into him, his too-hot cock now left to rub against the hard muscles of Sam's stomach as he rocked himself down into the odd angle. Speaking came easier now that he wasn't being manipulated under Sam's fingers, chuckling weakly as he licked his lips slowing their thrusts to a mere crawl hopefully giving Sam a few blessed seconds of clarity as well to recover. "You want it Sammy?" he asked in a low voice, suddenly dropping himself down to push their hips flush together enjoying the feeling of fullness that made his whole body ache. "Come and get it."

 

Sam whined, weakly fighting Gabriel's grasp on his hands. He arched into the man, trying not to let him gain the upper hand too quickly. His breaths came out in heavy pants as Gabriel slowed down and desperately tried to patch himself together. The low tone was enough to push him over the edge without the help of the warm heat but as soon as Gabriel pushed himself down Sam sputtered out another moan. 

 

Sam growled and struggled to get himself free. Within a few moments, he surged upwards and lifted them both up, smashing their lips together with a wrecked noise. He exhaled a rough version of Gabriel's name as he started to move his hips on his own rhythm until he was able to push Gabe onto his back. "Don't tease me, Gabriel." He warned in a gruff tone and defined a slightly faster pace for them to follow. Sam wanted to make it seem as if he was not completely coming to pieces under the warm pressure, but it wasn't really working for him. "I don't b-back down." 

 

If Gabriel just gave in and submitted or if Sam truly overpowered him Gabriel never knew and he didn't care to know because either option was acceptable. They both left him pinned beneath Sam who, besides kissing him desperately, fucked into him with hard short strokes that shot straight to his aching cock. Oh, he almost regretted giving Sam the hand holds, with his wrists now trapped above his head in Sam's iron-strong grip. He'd give anything to fist himself for a few seconds to ease the discomfort but before long the ache of his cock came secondary to his desire. His gold eyes fixed on Sam above him, muscles drawn tight his face tightened into the sexiest grimace he'd ever seen as he thrust down into him. He had to have more. "Don't you dare back down..."

 

Sam groaned loudly and dropped his lips to mouth against Gabriel's skin, puffing hot, wet breaths against the smaller man's neck as he went. Another short, feral noise came from Sam's throat and he transferred the two captive wrists into one hand, pinned above Gabriel's head, and brought the other down to cup Gabriel's ass and slowly lift him up. 

 

Sam finally let Gabe's hips stop moving when they rested on his thighs and he resumed his short thrusts. They grew longer as he searched blindly for the spot that had made Gabriel all but sing previously. "Wasn't planning on backing down," he murmured with a moan interrupting his words. "I'm scheming things... Things that I want to do to you... Things that may or may not be legal."

 

Gabriel positively writhed at that. Trying (and failing) to free one hand to touch Sam, to touch himself, to just touch something because he was surely going to be driven mad by Sam's endless teasing, he bent up into Sam's hips. Gabriel's legs scrambled for purchase around his waist as he shortened his thrusts. At first Gabriel thought he was fucking with him again, stirring the lustful madness that all but forced Gabriel to make lewd sounds that even he hadn't heard before. But when Sam's timely thrusts brushed his cock over Gabriel's prostate he barely had time to register what'd happened when white-hot pleasure pierced him and he bucked up furiously into Sam's hips, meeting them with a smack and a cry.

 

His mind halfway to next Tuesday, Gabriel could only moan in response to Sam's growled words as he writhed in his strong, protective grip. Swallowing hard when the fuzziness brought on by that sharp thrust had faded, Gabriel spoke, voice broken and needy as he clenched around Sam's cock inside him. "Fuck tell me Sam... Tell me all the things you want... Because I'll give them to you, I swear to God." Gabriel cursed, his gold eyes rolling up to the ceiling before they once more rolled into the back of his head when another driving thrust struck the bundle of nerves inside him threatening to yank him out if it happened again too soon. "S-Sam!"

 

Sam moaned helplessly as Gabriel squirmed beneath him and clenched around him. His hips slowed almost to a stop, languidly pumping in and out to work Gabriel to the brink of insanity with rather gentle nudges. He arched his torso so that he could kiss and lick and suck along Gabriel's collarbone, groaning and smirking at the words and the way that Gabe shouted his name.

 

"I can't tell if I want to..." He started at a pant, moving his hand from Gabriel's hip to slowly inch between them. "...Fuck you 'til next week or if I want to take it slow and drag everything out until you're begging for some sort of release. I want to hear you say my name until it's the only word you know. I want my neighbors to complain from the noise." He moaned and jerked his hips once as his hand began to palm Gabe's abdomen. "I want to fuck you and then I want you to fuck me hard. I want to ache and I want to be tired and I want it to be because of you." Sam's mind was hazy, his filter was completely shot and Gabriel did say to tell him everything.

 

So Sam's brain went straight for all of the pent up romance that he'd shunned since Jessica. "I want to wake up next to you every morning and kiss you until you're blue in the face. I want to watch you make me breakfast and eat my food. And... I... Fuck, Gabe." Sam muttered in something that was just a little bit more than a whimper. "I want you."  
This had to have been what going mad felt like. Or maybe this had to have been what falling in love felt like.

 

It was more than just the deft, tender thrusts of his cock into Gabriel's prostate. It was the words pouring from Sam's lips, filling his mind with filthy thoughts he hadn't even begun to process fully. Marathon nights spent in Sam's bedroom, on his couch—fuck—in his kitchen... just seeing how long they could go before the neighbors beat on the walls, shouting for them to shut up because they've gotten sick of hearing Gabriel screaming Sam's name. Then, the thought of making Sam scream his name in kind and Gabriel was suddenly possessed of visions of Sam on his back, with those long legs spread wide around Gabriel while he fucked into Sam with abandon, bending him in half and fucking Sam him until Sam could think of nothing and no one but him.

 

Kind of like how Gabriel was now—consumed by pleasure and left with just a litany of Sam's name running through his mind, which was slowly being turned to mush. Gabriel could barely make out the touch of Sam's hand as it invaded the space between their chests and stomach. His cock jumped in anticipation. Rubbed into Sam's stomach, made slick with the pre-come all but leaking from Gabriel's cock. But it wasn't the promise of Sam getting his hands on him again that made Gabriel's heart suddenly leap into his throat, getting him to let out a strangled cry. It was the rest of the words that left Sam's perfect mouth. 

 

Sam wanted him to stay. The plea in his voice hit Gabriel right in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and making his eyes tear up. Sam wanted him to stay. Arching his back, Gabriel let out another shout that sounded more like a sob. "Yes—" he panted, surprised at how rough his voice came out, reaching up to grip the fine hairs at the back of Sam's neck, pulling him up just enough for Gabriel to press their foreheads together and let him find those hazel eyes. 

 

"Yes," he repeated, the sincerity in his gaze all that Sam would need to know Gabriel wanted the same. He wanted to tell him how much he wanted to be here when Sam came home and wanted to take him to the park with Honey, wanted to teach Sam how to cook dinner for the both of them and watch stupid cheesy movies on his couch, but he couldn't, because to be perfectly honest Gabriel was unable to say anything more than, "Yes, Sam—please—"

 

Sam's entire world slowed down. His eyes fluttered when Gabriel's fingers pulled on his hair again, and he made soft noises as he attempted to concentrate on the breathy words. His brows stitched together in a sort of worried expression once the meaning behind the words registered. It couldn't have been that easy, could it? The golden eyes looked sincere and promising and Sam wanted to believe them. He decided that he would, at least, give Gabriel a chance at everything, partially because his head was swimming and he wasn't in full control of himself, but also because it would be nice to finally have something to come home to.

 

A smile started to grow on his lips and it erupted moments later into a giggling grin as Sam stretched down a little to smash their mouths together, his hips beginning to move again. Sam released the grip that he was holding Gabriel's hand captive in and used it to push his body up a little bit more, allowing his other hand to curl around the other man's cock. "You're driving me crazy, Gabe." He murmured in between a few short grunts and moans. "I think I like going crazy."

 

The sound of Sam's laughter and the smile on his face made Gabriel's own mouth split into a matching grin, as he let out a breathless laugh when Sam crushed their mouths together. It just felt so good to say it aloud, finally. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder and finally—fucking finally—he could let himself love Sam the way he wanted to.

 

Their kiss didn't last nearly long enough but Gabriel was hardly left with enough time to lament the loss. Sam's touch on his too-hot cock took his breath away and scrambled his brain all in one go. "Yes—" he agreed helplessly, his voice gone weak, nodding his head as his hips bucked frantically up into Sam's hand while he tried to simultaneously press down against the driving thrusts of his cock. It was frustrating work and before long he could feel the heat pooling like fire in his stomach, his heart pounding away in his throat as he struggled to speak. "Sam—fuck Sam, 'm gonna—'m gonna come..."

 

Sam nearly whimpered at those words, pressing their entire bodies together at the same time that he cocked his hips back and stroked up Gabriel's length. There was so much to do in such little time and Sam was not working anywhere near full brainpower. 

 

He dropped his lips to press against Gabriel's sweat-dampened collarbone, shifting his hips until he moaned loudly from all of the stimulation. "T-then come, Gabe." Sam managed as he lipped along the ridge with heavy pants, "'Cause I ain't lastin' much longer."

 

Gabriel felt sure he was dying and the kingdom of Heaven was close at hand. With Sam's weight pressing down over him and his cocked hips striking right into his prostate, Gabriel was at his mercy and he gave up willingly. Relinquishing control had never felt so very good before and Gabriel doubted it would ever feel so good with anyone else. All it took was Sam's permission and he was off, arching up hard into Sam's thrusts, his head fallen back as he screamed Sam's name. 

 

Thick, hot stripes of come painted their stomachs and smeared into Sam's fingers as he came like a shot, his hands reaching out to grip Sam by the hips, trying to pin him inside to feel the full effect of his orgasm. "Fuck... Sam..." he groaned, choking between spasms of his cock which echoed in his hole, flexing around Sam ruthlessly as he came undone in the other's arms.

 

Sam focused solely on Gabe, keeping his hand in time with his hips and adding little twists and squeezes until wet warmth splattered between them. He bit down a little onto the man's collarbone as Gabriel moaned, his neck arched towards Sam and his hair spread out across the bed.

 

It was hot and Sam was panting. He didn't last much longer; the resulting pants and the tight constriction made his hips stutter and his cock forsake him. After a few moments and a short litany of Gabriel's name, Sam groaned and moved himself in and out of Gabriel's hole a few more time before he nuzzled into Gabe's neck.

 

In actuality their orgasm hardly lasted more than thirty seconds, a minute between the two of them tops, but to Gabriel it seemed to last an eternity. The best part however, by far, was that the object of his desire was here in his arms and not a prettily painted picture in his mind. Breathing heavily Gabriel reached up and palmed a handful of Sam's hair, brushing it back off his face to chuckle warmly at his pink-cheeked visage, a picture of perfection in human form.

 

"God... Dammit... Sam..." Gabriel breathed, legs falling limply to his side. He chuckled gently, bringing his head up so he could find Sam's lips again, slowly working them apart with his tongue to taste the sweetness of victory—and of Sam. Pulling back for a breath, he fell back into the bed and chuckled again while his heart rate slowly returned to normal. Maybe it had been too long since he had been with anyone, or maybe it had been the build up from this afternoon that had strung Gabriel so tight, making the moment when he snapped that much more powerful. Fuck—it was practically mind numbing... Lying there for a long moment, Gabriel just kept very still, combing back Sam's hair, remembering how to breathe and speak without stumbling over his tongue, waiting for his—lover? partner? bed-buddy? to make the next move.

 

Sam made a tired noise and leaned into Gabriel's hand a little as his hair was brushed away from his eyes. He tipped his head up and exhaled in surprise when Gabe's tongue probed into his mouth again. It didn't take long for him to relax almost entirely over Gabriel and he hummed as he chased the man's lips to the bed, smiling just a little bit wider. "I think I'm gonna sleep well tonight." He murmured in a slightly playful tone, poking his nose into the area just below Gabe's Adam's apple as he let his hair be pet. 

 

Sam gently tugged his hips back slowly sliding out of the other man. When Sam began to feel as if he wasn't filling anything out, he moved slower, hoping to make Gabriel either not feel him inch his way out or to make it known that Sam did not really mean all of that as a one night stand. "That is, if you don't snore of course." 

 

Gabriel was floating on such a cloud that he hardly even felt the slick slide of Sam as he exited his body, just the glorious weight of Sam reclining over him and the brush of his nose along his throat. Swallowing at the contact Gabriel closed his eyes and chuckle his voice rough and warm as he spoke. "How dare you accuse me of snoring..." he teased in return, untangling his legs from around Sam's hips and letting them fall to the bed like lead weights groaning at the stretch of his muscles after being drawn so tight for so long. "You snore like a freight train."

 

But Gabriel didn't mind if Sam snored, never had in fact, but he did agree that he was going to sleep extraordinarily well tonight. There was nothing like a warm, sleepy post-sex haze to lull the senses into the void. Wrapping his arms around Sam, Gabriel leaned in to press his lips to the top of his head, his grip firm and tender, the kind of grip that wanted to hold on but was unsure of how long he was allowed to do so. Groaning as he did so Gabriel turned the both of them with what little strength he could muster, turning so they landed on their sides facing each other. Batting the hair from his eyes he laughed a bit as he got to back away far enough to see Sam's face just cooling from the heat, leaning in to cup his jaw and leave a kiss to his swollen lips feeling like there was no way this night could possibly go any better. "You okay?"

 

Sam snorted softly, as if he was going to respond with another small tease, but his body melted under the tight grip and whatever protest that might have come was turned into a drawn out, quiet moan. He smiled gently and let his eyes flutter closed.

 

Sam flinched a little when Gabe's hand touched his cheek and he hummed warmly as he leaned into the contact and the ginger kiss. He nodded slowly and wrapped his arms around Gabriel, tugging him closer. "I am so much more than okay... you?" 

 

Sam murmured as he closed his eyes again, nosing into Gabriel's cheek with a lazy grin. His arms tightened a little, squeezing the smaller man's body for a few moments before he loosened his grip. "You are gorgeous, Gabriel. Absolutely gorgeous and, damn, I like seeing you like this." He rambled on without waiting for an answer.

 

Gabriel frowned slightly at the flinch in Sam's expression but didn't mention it as he was gathered up into Sam's arms and nestled in against his firm chest. Letting out a weak laugh he started to answer but was stopped by the sound in Sam's voice, peering up to him from beneath his lashes when he spoke calling him gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.  
Dammit. And he thought he'd gotten past this blushing nonsense now. They'd just fucking had sex but Sam could still make him turn scarlet. 

 

Nudging the larger man playfully, Gabriel chuckled weakly and shook his head. "I'm perfect," he murmured, pressing his forehead into Sam's and smiling when his eyes found that hazel gaze. "Just perfect Sammy..." Nothing would have made the night any better, and though it was early for them to be in bed he couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Except maybe the couch...and the shower...and the kitchen…

 

"How long have you wanted this?" he asked finally, pushing himself up on one elbow to look down at Sam. It had gone beyond simple satisfaction, Sam had read him a laundry list of things he'd wanted which meant he had to have held onto it all for a while but how long exactly? How long had Gabriel been secretly pining for him only for Sam to be secretly pining right back? "Because that was some serious pent up frustration there—"

 

Sam lifted a hand and gingerly stroked the red blotches on Gabriel's cheeks, an amused smile creeping onto his lips because everything was good; everything was perfect. He couldn't resist the temptation that the soft lips offered and stretched his head out to press their mouths together. Sam grunted softly when Gabe pulled away to push himself up, but Sam loosened his arms and dropped his hand to the bed so that the smaller man could maneuver around him.

 

The question made Sam chuckle nervously; truthfully, Sam had thought about it for quite some time. Probably... Most likely too long for it to be normal. "I get attached to people easily." He excused and started to gently knead Gabriel's side, diverting his eyes to look at his hand and the way that the man's slight 'pudge' that Sam had given him crap over earlier moved under his fingers. When he spoke again, because he did speak again—people deserved an answer—his voice was softer than normal. 

 

"I don't know exactly when, but... I think it started the first night that you helped me through a nightmare." He admitted quietly, that had been just a month or two after they started. But Sam just chalked the erotic thoughts up to the idea that Gabriel was his savior and he was just transferring the emotions in the most cathartic way.

 

"I'm sorry." Sam muttered with his chin tucked against his chest. He sort of let everything go with Gabriel and it felt so good but he never realized what it looked like from the other man's perspective. "It's been a long time since..." His brow furrowed and he shook the doubt from his mind because Gabriel said that he had wanted it and he seemed more than interested in it, so why was he excusing his actions? 

 

"It's been a shitty day and, well, it's you. I don't think that I've seen anyone look so beautiful and wrecked before. I wanted to go fast but I didn't want it to end. I don't like endings." Sam glanced up at Gabriel, flashing him an unsteady smile, hoping that he hadn't hurt whatever they had. "I'm sorry." He said again, this time looking at the other man. "I can hold myself back, if you'd prefer."

 

Gabriel furrowed his brow when Sam started to pull away, tucking his head down where Gabriel couldn't see his face. Did he think Gabriel was turned off by how his affections had come about? Hell, he was just grateful that there was mutual affection there to be found! 

 

"Hey—hey," He slid back down till they were level, reaching up to hold Sam's head in place while their limbs slotted together in that all-too-perfect way they always had. "This is no ending," he promised, sliding one arm around Sam and drawing their shapes together with a small smile. "The end of round one maybe, but not an ending. Not by a long shot." 

 

Sam let himself smile and nod slowly as Gabriel assured him that nothing was going to be over soon. He cuddled into Gabe, keeping their bodies as close as humanly possible. For a moment, he just stared at Gabriel, watching the way his tired hand trailed over his face and moved strands of thick hair out of and into the way. 

 

Letting his head fall to the pillow, Gabriel laughed gently, pressing a hand over his head and wiping his face with a sigh. "I've...I've thought of you a lot these past few months," he admitted quietly, shooting a tentative look up at Sam. "You know why I—why we couldn't—" he stumbled over the words and wished it was easier to make himself clear. Settling himself on the bed beside Sam, Gabriel let his eyes search Sam's while he spoke slowly, hoping that he wasn't being misunderstood. 

 

"I couldn't do anything while I was working for you. The last thing I wanted you to think was that I do this with everyone, because I don't!" Gabriel said firmly, gently pushing his finger into Sam's chest as if he could impress the point further physically. "You're... different."

 

Sam was the only one who really allowed him to be himself. To let him speak his mind. Hell, some clients paid him extra at the end of the night if he didn't talk. But Sam never seemed to mind and with his patience and kind heart Gabriel had been lost. He had no clue when he'd begun having feelings for Sam. They were just there one day. "And I really like you, Sam..."

 

Sam chuckled softly when Gabe started to stress certain points, because he understood the need to be professional and to have limits with his clients. Sam hesitated for a second when the finger pressed into his chest, but he slowly bobbed his head as he picked his hand up to thread their fingers together. "I know... I wasn't worried... You made me sign an 'I'm not a whore' contract, Gabe." He said with an amused laugh, nosing forward to kiss the other man once more. "And even though it was crude and rudimentary, the purpose was clear." Sam was sure that Gabriel had thrown together the 'no sex on the job' contract four hours before his first gig and never bothered to revise it. 

 

His other hand flexed against Gabriel's side again and he wrapped it around the smaller man's waist to pull their bodies flush together. "I like you too, Gabe." He murmured, his voice at a low whisper as he nuzzled against Gabriel's warm cheek. "And probably more than I should."

 

Gabriel let Sam take his hand, admiring the way their fingers slotted together and offering his hand a small squeeze, leaning up into Sam's kiss, smirking as he pulled away. He licked his lips eagerly, allowing Sam to guide him into place. It was a relief—to say the least—knowing this wasn't satisfying some fetish of fucking around with the paid help. If he wanted to play that fantasy he'd get a damn French maid costume.

 

His eyes grew heavy in spite of himself, or maybe it was just so warm and cozy with Sam nuzzling against his cheek and speaking in low whispers. Sighing deeply, Gabriel reached up to drape an arm around Sam's neck and kissed his cheek. Unsure of how to respond to Sam's admission (though surely he knew he felt very strongly for Sam as well) Gabriel just sighed and combed his fingers through Sam's hair. "We can talk about it in the morning? I'll make waffles this time, promise." he murmured. He pulled his head back just enough to nudge his forehead against Sam's, to take in his gorgeous features once more before he closed his eyes and sighed dreamily. 

 

Sam hummed happily and closed his eyes to enjoy the companionship and warmth. He nodded slowly and blinked his eyes open as Gabe pulled away a bit. "After we shower." he insisted softly, giving Gabriel a small squeeze before letting his eyes slip shut again. He started to speak: "Will you..." But he trailed off. 

 

It would have been inappropriate to ask Gabriel to stay another day with him, but Sam wanted to so much. He wanted to wake up late. Wanted to shower with Gabriel and pin him against the wet, cold tiles and kiss him. He wanted to eat waffles drenched in syrup for breakfast and take Honey to the park. Sam wanted to bring Gabe to a small café and have lunch outside, and actually have a day off where he wasn't trapped in his apartment waiting for a client to call.

 

Fuck it. Sam decided that, hey, he had just had sex with his cuddler and if that wasn't a deal breaker, he could request six hours more. "Will you stay tomorrow too? Just during the day? I want... I have things for you... For us..."

 

Gabriel hummed, absently—lost in thought. Thinking about taking a long, hot shower—this time with Sam instead of just wishing it'd been. Ohh, and he intended fully to worship that body with water and steam and soap. Push Sam up against the warm, wet tiles and lather him with bubbles and wash it all away, following up with kisses on clean, slick, smooth skin. He'd keep them in there until they were impossibly prune-y, just kissing under the waterfall from the showerhead. 

 

They'd dress in just their shorts and take bowls of cereal to the living room to sit and watch cartoons. But while Gabriel tried to imagine if Sam might like Looney Tunes or Disney Shorts better Sam was asking him to stick around... Gabriel lifted his head and couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the delightful awkwardness to Sam's voice as he made his request. As if Gabriel could turn Sam down ever again…

 

"Things, huh?" He pressed another kiss to Sam's mouth before settling against his chest, and smiled to himself as he nodded. "I'd like that..."

 

Sam's lips twisted into a silly smile after the kiss and he chased after Gabriel for another. "Yeah...?" He purred softly as Gabriel snuggled into him. He blinked slowly, his movements sluggish and tired, and gently nuzzled into Gabriel's hair. "'m sleepy."  
Gabriel snorted.

 

Had Sam really just said he was 'sleepy'? Surely as a Stanford graduate (and not a second grader) he had better ways to express his exhaustion than 'sleepy.'  
"Is Honey... alright by herself?" He murmured, while his words displaced Gabriel's hair with short puffs. Sam was, of course, interested in the wellbeing of the dog, but he was also using the pet to segue their conversation to something else before they inevitably fell asleep.

 

Gabriel could feel the familiar muscles beneath him start to relax, and slowed his breathing automatically to match. It was habit, by now, in any bed... but somehow with Sam it seemed more natural. Less like he matched Sam and more like they just matched each other. He grinned to himself as Sam muttered vaguely about the dog, like a five-year-old about to pass out after a long day. Well if he was a five-year-old Sam was the biggest, most adorable five-year-old Gabriel had ever laid eyes on.

 

Gabriel nodded dreamily. "She's fine..." He murmured. "She'll probably have all the cushions ripped off your couch and made a nest for herself on the floor..." 

 

Sam hummed again, his chest rumbling pleasantly as he nodded. The idea of Honey ripping his couch apart to make a nest really didn't seem all that terrible at the moment, because the dog was alright and Sam didn't have to leave Gabriel and, as his thoughts rambled on, Sam started to feel himself slipping into a comatose state, catalyzed by Gabriel's presence beside him. 

 

"G'night, Gabe." He murmured quietly as he yawned and pulled the covers up over their shoulders. He had other things to say—he always had things to say—but he fell fast asleep before he could get the sentence fully constructed. 

 

Within minutes, Sam began to snore softly, his inhalations catching at the back of his throat, causing each breath to seem louder and more nasally. However, the snores weren't the deep, rather truck driver-esque snores that came when Sam slept deeper, so at least there was that.  
Gabriel fell asleep soon after.  
And he dreamed.  
It was like something out of a horror movie. After this, Gabriel swore, he'd never watch another horror movie again. It would be too real.  
Iraq was a battleground 24/7, 365 days of the year, and Gabriel had signed up for this shit. 

 

"Get moving, Novak!" Nick shouted at him from behind and Gabriel readjusted his helmet, moving along the street and keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. This area was supposed to be deserted—a remnant of the last bombings that had come through and rendered the area and its surrounding buildings unlivable. But people had been spotted darting through the wreckage and while Gabriel was fairly certain it was simply looters trying to earn a quick buck on the misfortune of others, they still needed to investigate. Keeping his eyes peeled for movement, with his crew in sight, Gabriel slunk forward first, kneeling low against the wall. He was often a front liner, supposedly due to his speed, but Gabriel knew it was more likely because of his stature. At 5'8" he was hardly tiny, but he was definitely smaller than the majority of his company so more often than not he ended up being the guy who got stuffed through windows and shimmied down drainpipes. Simply because he could. It was a tough job but someone had to do it.

 

Gabriel noticed there was something wrong the minute he glanced around the wall. A foot lay there, and a body as well, half buried under the sand. He couldn't see much more but he signaled for Nick and the others to stay back. Keeping low to the ground, Gabriel moved around the wall and ducked behind the dune of sand, eyes and gun trained on the desolate-looking building beyond. Ragged flaps of fabric hung from it, flapping gently in the desert wind, and each movement made him even edgier. He moved from dune to dune on his way into the building. More sand covered the ground, blown in after the walls had crumbled and the glass broken. There was furniture here, half-burned and being used as shelter by local wildlife. And still there were more limbs sticking out of the buried mounds of sand. He felt a sick feeling beginning in his stomach but still Gabriel didn't stop moving for more than a minute at a time, until he spotted a hand sticking out of the sand. A woman's hand wearing a wedding ring. "Gabriel, do you see anything?" a voice on his headset called and Gabriel tuned it out, a ringing beginning in his ears as he unburied more and more of the woman's hand until suddenly it cut off right at the shoulder, a bloodied stump left in its place. Glancing around himself once more Gabriel realized these were the people who had been inside when the bombs fell. All at once he was suddenly made aware of the bodies scattered all around him. Another hand, a foot, a head... a baby's head... and Gabriel swore he'd seen the baby blink, its mouth open wide as it started to cry and cry and cry...

 

Gabriel woke with a start, gold eyes flying open wide, fingers knotted into the sheets on either side of Sam's body. At some point in the middle of the night Sam had rolled onto his back and either pulled Gabriel atop him or else Gabriel had shifted to remain close to his warmth, settled between his legs using Sam's stomach as a pillow. He focused on the light streaming through the window across from them. Each second he woke a little more and became further aware of his surroundings. The heat of the day bleeding into the bedroom reminded him of the thick heat of the desert. A baby cried from not far off, perhaps down below in the courtyard or next door. And there was a whine too, coming from the bedroom door, that drew Gabriel's immediate attention. He sat up slowly, shaking a bit as he adjusted himself atop Sam.  
"S'okay..." he called softly, rising slowly out of bed trying desperately not to disturb Sam where he slept as he climbed out of bed to open the door. Honey darted in and moved around and around him, her big brown eyes turned up like she was concerned. "'m okay, baby girl," He reached down to pick the dog up and return to sit on the bed, pressing a hand over his eyes. He hadn't had a dream that vivid in a long time. Granted, he hadn't slept like that in a very, very long time. Sitting up, Gabriel let his head fall back to the headboard while Honey sniffed her way under his hand, giving him the comfort of stroking her ears between his fingers. He relaxed slowly and surely, turning his face toward Sam, who slept still. The sight warmed Gabriel, even more as the memory of last night started to wipe away the frightening images of his dream, leaving him smiling. God he must have looked creepy. Watching Sam sleep and grinning like an idiot…

 

After a few minutes, Sam started to wake up, childishly rolling onto his stomach to chase the last bit of the fading heat and to bury his head in the pillow to hide from the light. When he realized that he was cuddling into fabric and not Gabriel, Sam grunted and blindly reached out for the man that he assumed was right in front of him.  
He slowly blinked open his eyes when his hand touched something warm, furry, and.... wet? A lazy, lopsided grin formed on Sam's lips as Honey's form came into focus. "Hiya, Honey." He greeted the dog with a sleep-thick tone and a giggle—no, a laugh—when she licked his hand again. 

 

Sam lifted his gaze to find Gabriel's eyes and let his head fall back against the bed with a small exhale. His smile faltered when he saw the normally bubbly, upturned creases around Gabriel's eyes twisted in compartmentalized worry and nerves that really could never be hidden. "Hey, Gabe?" He almost asked, pressing himself up a little, but not sitting up entirely. 

 

Sam understood nightmares -- hell, he probably understood them better than all of his cases -- but he never really realized that other people could have nightmares. Even though they had talked about it the night prior, Sam had felt almost like he was the only one in the world who could have nightmares. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

 

Close enough, Gabriel thought, but he didn't speak just yet, shaking his head at Sam's concern as he rolled over to press a kiss to his mouth, morning breath be damned. Pulling back, Gabriel licked his lips and opened his eyes again to Sam's face, bringing his hand up to cup his jaw. "No ghosties here, Sammy," he murmured and offered him a smile, looking more like himself now as the vision of a sun-soaked Sam filled his mind and shoved the nightmare into the back of his brain.

 

He could talk to Sam about what he'd seen. Gabriel had a feeling that Sam wouldn't mind listening just so Gabriel could get the thoughts out of his head. But Gabriel refused to lay that burden on him now. Especially not now that they were just getting starting with whatever this was. "Good morning," he hummed and pressed another kiss to Sam's lips, lingering this time to deepen it slowly, testing the waters. He just needed to know that what happened last night wasn't going to go away. That he still had Sam, because Sam most assuredly still had him.

 

Sam grunted softly when Gabriel pulled away from the kiss and lazily smiled, pushing his jaw into Gabe's hand. He murmured a soft 'good,' not wanting to read into anything too extensively, and just reclined on the bed, watching Gabriel with warm, sleep heavy eyes.  
When the other man ducked his head for another kiss, Sam pushed himself up to meet Gabriel halfway. He slowly lifted a hand and tentatively threaded it through Gabe's hair, unsure of what was allowed after the previous night. Before Sam could actually initiate any true contact Gabriel pulled away. His fingers curled on impulse as he made a small noise in protest, urging Gabriel to stay. 

 

After a few more seconds, Sam let their lips drift apart. With a goofy, happy grin he wrapped his arms around Gabriel and nuzzled into his cheek. "Mornin' Gabe." It was strange to wake up next to someone again and to be greeted by morning breath kisses and a warm body. Not bad strange... Just different... Refreshing. "Sure you're okay?" He asked in a kind tone and pressed another peck to Gabriel's lips.

 

"Much better now that you're awake." It was the most honest answer Gabriel could give, though it made him feel a little skeevy to say it. In all honesty, he was glad Sam was up now because he could focus on the other man and not relive the nightmare again. But, it felt like he was just using Sam as a means of escape and Sam deserved better than that.  
Gabriel put a little bit more fire into his next kiss, leaning in to roll Sam onto his back, letting Honey take over his side of the bed while Gabriel took up the space he'd occupied before having to open the door for the dog.

 

Sam hummed softly and closed his eyes to let himself become distracted by the kiss. He knew that Gabriel wasn't telling him everything, but the man didn't want to talk about whatever was bugging him.

 

Reclining between Sam's legs, Gabriel leaned back from Sam's lips to press a kiss over the dark tattooed star over his heart. "You know, every night I wanted to ask you about this tattoo," he confessed with a warm chuckle and used the tip of his tongue to trace the dark lines before dipping a little lower to lave his tongue over Sam's nipple instead. "What does it mean?"

 

Sam arched slightly into the kiss on instinct and chuckled fondly. He started to speak but a broken moan overtook his answer and he gently tousled Gabriel's hair as a short reprimand for derailing his thoughts. "It's for protection. I got it with my brother the day that I got my letter from Stanford. He, uh, didn't want me to leave. I found him in a bar and after a few hours we made some promises and swore on our most meaningful possessions. I thought he'd forget about it in the morning... but... he didn't." Sam's tone was melancholic. "It's not very professional, I know... But I'm too much of a wuss to get it removed." Honestly, Sam kept it because he missed his old relationship with Dean, but he wasn't going to tell Gabriel that. At least not when there was licking involved.

 

"It's not like you're whipping it out in the middle of the courtroom," Gabriel chuckled trying to imagine Sam unbuttoning his shirt simply to flash the tattooed mark on his chest. "As far as tattoos go," He pushed up to look down at Sam with a sly smirk. "Yours is in a good place. Easy to cover and easy to keep."

 

"Mine however—" he said with a small smirk as he crawled his way down the bed keeping his eyes on Sam while he backed away. He stood finally at the end of the bed stretching his arms up and over his head with a groan, purposefully exposing the line of his body to Sam's eyes as he backed slowly away towards the shower, hoping to entice Sam to follow as a winked. "A little harder to hide."

 

Only luck kept Sam from finding Gabriel's own tattoo, but then again his was in a much less visible place. The darkness last night had aided him but, if last night was any indication, Sam would spot it soon enough. In all the time they'd been together Gabriel had always kept a shirt on for a reason. Well two really. One was because he couldn't technically be naked whenever he worked and the other... simply insecurity.

 

Turning his back to Sam at last, Gabriel's fingers curled into fists as he revealed the wings tattooed onto his back. Not just one set either but three in graduating sizes down his back and shaded in gold, amber, and shades of brown: the wings of the archangel Gabriel, or at least Gabriel's interpretation of them. He'd gotten them not long after he'd left the army, using the time spent in the chair to think back on his life and the things he'd done in the name of his country, promising with each drag of the needle in his back that he would live to help people, be as real an angel as he could possibly be. 

 

Glancing over his shoulder as he slipped towards the bathroom, Gabriel kept one honey-colored eye on Sam and smirked gently, nodding his head inside. "C'mon Samsquatch..."

 

Sam's eyes widened at the sight of the tattoos and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed. The only verbal response that he could muster was a quiet 'wow' as Gabriel started to slink towards the shower. 

 

Slowly, Sam picked himself up and followed the other man into the bathroom. "Gabe. I didn't know you had tattoos." He gave a soft laugh as he reached forward to trace the lowest set of wings with the pads of his fingers. "They're... Well, beautiful, Gabriel." Sam praised with a grin. "How did you... When did you...?" Sam asked in half sentences. He stepped up behind Gabriel and pulled the short man against his body, pressing a kiss to the ridge of Gabe's shoulder. "What does it mean?" 

 

Gabriel could practically hear the bob of Sam's throat as he swallowed and a little part of him smirked with the knowledge. Grinning he took little steps further into the bathroom, moving one step at a time with Sam right behind him.

 

"Well the how is real simple. I paid a guy upwards of about two-grand to spend a grand total of twenty-six hours sitting backwards in a chair while he tattooed me. The when was just a few months after I left the army. But the why..." Gabriel hesitated at that and reached out to take Sam's hands in his, wrapping them around his waist and pressing his winged back into Sam's chest.

 

If the nightmare last night meant anything Gabriel ought to stop rehashing the past but for some reason he wanted to talk about it to Sam, wanted to open himself up like this, and that probably scared him more than anything else. Sam let out a short, breathy laugh at Gabriel's first response and nuzzled into Gabe's hair. When Gabriel paused and pulled him closer, Sam happily tightened their embrace, eager to listen to the man's story.

 

Gripping Sam behind him Gabriel shook his head and shut his eyes. "I wanted to be an angel," he admitted quietly almost like he was ashamed of the childish illusion. "I wanted to—want to help people. Because I believe people are inherently good... some of them just forget once in a while and need someone to remind them." 

 

Tilting his head to the side, Gabriel turned and pressed a kiss to Sam's cheek, moving them forward again to Sam's tiled shower, reaching in to twist the knob and bringing the hot water up. Steam filled the shower as Gabriel turned in Sam's arms. "Know what I mean?" 

 

Sam couldn't help but smile. He shuffled forward with Gabriel, with a silly grin on his lips. Sam was a good guy, but he didn't understand how someone could be so pure.  
Even though Gabriel had his dickish moments, he had spent his whole life doing things for other people. After serving in a war that he never talked about, he gave himself fully and wholly to his clients—clients that paid him to help them sleep. Granted, it wasn't a cheap service, but it didn't provide like Sam's income and it brought Gabe both physical and emotional hardships. But he did it anyway.

 

Sam stayed silent, letting his eyes examine and memorize Gabriel's features. After a few moments, he laughed.

 

It was the sort of laugh that would have echoed even if they weren't in a tiled shower. It was happy and sweet and it still had little hints of Sam's drowsiness. He dipped his head and surged forward, pushing Gabriel underneath the water and against the wall, taking caution to not jam the man into the faucets. The warm water poured down Sam's face, splashing onto Gabe as they kissed, and Sam chuckled softly when he pulled away to breathe.

 

"It might just be my line of work, but," Sam murmured quietly, his eyes closed and his forehead pressed against Gabriel's. "Gabe, you're the best man I've ever met."  
Sam's laugh sent something close to butterflies fluttering into Gabriel's stomach and it drew a smile to his lips as he was pushed beneath the hot waterfall. Kissing Sam back through the water made Gabriel's mind race, imagining white sand beaches and a half-naked Sam basking in cool, too-blue water, stealing Gabriel away to kiss him in the shade of their own private lagoon.

 

He arched his back to avoid the knobs, forcing his body to line up with Sam's in a way far too erotic to ignore. Letting out a slight groan Gabriel pressed back into their kiss, eyes closed to the water raining down over them and Gabriel shook wet hair from his face when Sam pulled away and spoke. "I'm really not," he paused, looking up to Sam and gently nudging their noses together, a small smile playing along his lips. "Mm, I'm just a man trying to do the best he can with the hand that's he's been dealt. That's all."

 

Gabriel knew he was more sinner than saint. All the good he could do in the world wouldn't be enough to erase the sins of his past, but it made life a little more bearable. If Sam had known the kind of man he used to be, Gabriel was certain he'd turn tail and run. So he decided instead to remind Sam of the man he was right now. Wrapping his arms around his lover's neck Gabriel slid his fingers up into Sam's hair, tugging him gently down so Gabriel could press a chaste kiss to those smiling lips. 

 

Sam wanted to protest Gabriel's objection, but he decided that the hot water and lazy happiness was exponentially more important than anything else. A small noise escaped from Sam's mouth when Gabriel tugged at the soaked mop of hair and the taller man eagerly dipped his head to press into the warm, wet kiss. 

 

"Mm... Any chance for a wild card in the shower? You feel really good this morning..." Gabriel's hips shifted against Sam's and sighed feeling his growing hardness pressed into the hard muscles of Sam's thigh. "I'm feeling a sin coming on..."

 

Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes at Gabriel's words and the gentle nudge against his leg, spelling out his intentions in black and white. Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel, putting his arms where the man arched away from the metal pegs to prevent any injury, and rolled his hips against his "angel's." Pulling away from the kiss for a moment and ducking his head towards Gabe's ear, Sam hummed softly. 

 

"Any chance, Gabriel?" He murmured in a thick, pseudo-incredulous tone. "Do you know how many things I want to do with you in the shower? Mhm?" Sam prodded with a soft smirk, lowering his head again to lap at the pool of water that formed in the divot of Gabe's collarbone. "So tell me, Gabriel, what's it gonna be today?" 

 

"Decisions, decisions," Gabriel purred as Sam leaned him back under the spray of water. He closed his eyes as he felt Sam drink from the makeshift bowl of his throat. It was oddly erotic and made Gabriel think of a Roman bathhouse for some reason... Maybe it was because Sam looked like a damned Adonis glowing under the light of the shower. All bronze skin and shiny, water-slicked muscles. Gabriel reached up to run his hands over Sam's body, spreading his fingers wide to map him.

 

"Mm... I think we're gonna stay here until we're wrinkly or unable to stay standing—whichever comes first..."

 

Gabriel wasted no time in showing off the hidden strength still left in his muscles from his days in the military. Gripping Sam by the shoulders, he pushed the other man off him and up against the cool tile wall. With a commanding glare Gabriel pinned Sam to the wall with a look that clearly read 'move and you'll regret it' before he released Sam, hands returning to detail the wide planes of his chest and stomach.

 

Gabriel sighed as he arched his fingers around the jut of Sam's hip, leaving pale pink lines in their wake while they moved further south along the tops of his thighs. There was just so much to touch Gabriel honestly didn't know if one day would be enough.

 

Sam began to hum and arch into Gabriel as the man's hands wandered. His lapping turned into soft kisses that trailed up and down Gabriel's neck and only faltered when strong hands gripped his shoulders. For a split second, Sam thought that he had done something wrong and he backed off an inch, intending to question the movement. Before he could open his mouth, Gabriel pushed him against the cold tile.

 

Gabriel grinned as he started replacing his touches with kisses, peeking up from his damp blonde hair, he winked in Sam's direction as he reached away at last to grab the soap from the dish to his left and a green washcloth to his right. 

 

"Keep still now for me Sammy," he hummed, stepping back just enough for the steam heat to pass between them as he rested his shoulders on the tile opposite from him. He grinned to himself as he took his time lathering the washcloth full of ‘Irish Springs’ bubbles, the view in front of him far too perfect to want to rush this.

 

Sam's back bowed away from the wall, yearning to be away from the cold, and a small, rather surprised noise slipped out from his lips. Sam settled back against the tile when his eyes met a rather steely glare instead of the usual soft, honey stare. He tried to stay still under Gabriel's hands, but he was fidgeting against the wall within moments, eager to touch or kiss or do something, anything. 

 

Sam whimpered when Gabriel pulled away, and started to step towards the other man. His tongue ran over his lips as he backed against the wall again, forced to be content with just watching. 

 

After what felt like ages, Sam groaned loudly, staring at Gabriel with a half-hearted puppy-dog expression. The air was thick with the fresh scent of something green and ever so slightly chemical. The soap smelled better on Gabriel, Sam was damn sure of that, and Sam was never good at being teased.

 

Gabriel's grin only widened at Sam's desperate groan and he arched a bit, sliding the wash cloth down and over his body, leaving his skin shiny and slick with soap as he cleaned himself up all within eyesight of Sam. He loved this kind of teasing, the delayed gratification making it that much sweeter when they finally got what they wanted. He was at full mast by now and positively aching to touch and be touched but he resisted once he was clean and soapy moving over to take care of Sam. 

 

"Don't worry..." Gabriel purred, softly running the washcloth over Sam's chest and stomach. "We've got some time..."

 

When the warm, wet towel swiped across his stomach, Sam's breath caught in the back of his throat. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall with a dull thunk, trying to relax under the attention.

 

Gabriel did as he promised, worshipping Sam's body while he cleaned him off with soap and water, following up with a healthy smattering of kisses again before he began to slip lower and lower with his washcloth and lips. Kneeling on the ground between Sam's legs Gabriel leaned in and licked a stripe up the underside of his swollen and straining cock while his hands mapped out his thighs and calves and ass. 

 

Looking up at his lover, Gabriel dug his fingers into his thighs, giving his head a hearty lick before leaning back, encouraging Sam with a smile and a squeeze to turn around, forcing him to face the wall while Gabriel lavished attention on the perfect globes of Sam's ass.

 

Sam groaned, coming off of the wall with the smooth slide of Gabe's tongue. Sam was sure that he would have done anything that Gabriel requested as long as it resulted in more contact, so turning around at Gabriel's silent order was absolutely no problem at all. 

 

"Christ Sam... What was that last night? You wanted me to fuck you? Make you come so hard you ache all over, all for me?" Gabriel groaned as he pushed Sam forward, spreading his cheeks and licking his lips. 

 

"As you wish," he murmured, pressing forward and sending his tongue (and the hot water trailing down Sam's back) over his exposed hole, lapping and laving at the tight ring of muscle, circling it with a hum of approval when it opened just enough to push the tip of his tongue inside.

 

Already more than hard, Sam rolled his hips into the wall, hissing slightly from the mixture of emotions he got from the cold, frictionless surface. He ducked his head in an attempt to piece together a sentence an--. Whatever he had planned to say was forever lost as soon as Gabriel opened him up and started to lave his hole. His pelvis jerked forward again and then pressed back, wanting more but not wanting to give up the hot sensation. 

 

"P-please." Sam whined against the wall, pushing back against Gabriel's mouth when he realized that the feeling was absolutely amazing. 

 

Done teasing, Gabriel practically purred his delight at Sam's broken plea and leaned up with a little more pressure, breaching the giving muscle with more of his tongue. It had been so long since he'd done this so he was rather pleased to learn he hadn't lost his touch. Gripping Sam's hips Gabriel encouraged him to press back into him, digging blunt nails into Sam's flank while he moved back, his head being doused in the spray as it ran down Sam's back and between his cheeks.

 

Sam bit his lip to hold in his needy whimpers as Gabriel prodded into Sam with his tongue. While Sam wasn't exactly new to the whole 'gay sex' thing, the concept of rimming was something that he had just fantasized about, and God, Gabriel did not disappoint.

 

Now and again Gabriel had to pull away to breathe, leaving Sam's hole exposed to the hot water raining down. But he'd always return, each time with more vigor until he finally pushed Sam forward out of the spray and into the wall, wrapping his arms around Sam's thighs and plunging his tongue inside as deep as it could go while holding him upright. 

 

A groan rumbled through his shape and Gabriel let it echo into Sam while he worked the larger man over, wondering just how far he could push Sam before he finally snapped.  
Sam squirmed forward, letting out a ragged moan each time he rubbed his hips against the wall. As soon as the water seemed to be colder than his body's elevated temperature, Sam pushed his hips back toward Gabriel, offering a shorter, but equally wrecked moan in exchange for the warm, smooth slide of Gabe's tongue.

 

Sam made a surprised and rather out of character noise for his build when Gabriel pushed him flat against the wall. The other man's name had become a sort of mantra to Sam and the steady stream of words was too erotic to even be legal. His hands had gone up to brace himself against the wall and his legs started to shake a little under the pressure of pleasure as Gabriel groaned in him. 

 

"Oh...Oh, god." Sam moaned with clenched eyes, but pressed back against the invasive muscle. "Gabriel...fuck." Sam almost hissed when the man's nails dug into his thigh again. "Good. It... feels so good."

 

Bolstered by the sound of Sam's broken words, Gabriel continued without rest, even as his jaw began to ache nearly as bad as his cock pressed hot and heavy against his stomach. Every so often, Gabriel had to reach down for a stroke just to keep himself from coming too soon, sincerely determined to force Sam over the edge first. He seemed so close that Gabriel could practically feel it vibrating through Sam's body into his own. He just needed one final kick.

 

Everything was so far away and the concept of time was almost novel. Sam's mind was a blur and his body was not his own; all he could do was shift back onto whatever Gabriel was pressing into him.

 

Pulling back, Gabriel wasted no time filling Sam's opening with two fingers, the muscle giving easily to accept the stretch, and Gabriel chuckled warmly when Sam clenched around them. 

 

"Mhm, so greedy for it aren't you baby? I love that..." Gabriel's voice was warm like molten honey and twice as sweet as he moved his free hand up to cup Sam's cock in his hand, offering him a warm alternative to the cold tile walls.

 

Sam whined between heavy, panted breaths, afraid that the other man might actually leave him like this. His hole fluttered around the fingers, trying to reject them and welcome them at the same time. The voice would have made Sam answer immediately at any other time, but the contrast of the cold wall and the warmth of the hand on his dick were so severe that he lost his ability to speak.

 

"You want to come for me?" He asked unashamed as he circled Sam's length, stroking him nice and slow while his fingers probed deeper and deeper in pursuit of that little bundle of nerves sure to set Sam's being on fire. Leaning up, Gabriel pressed himself against the line of Sam's thigh, nipping at his lover's hip, leaving his own private constellation of marks on Sam's tan body.

 

Sam whimpered against the wall and he floundered to find the words... Or any words. And then there was a jolt of pleasure that had him scrambling to get away. Due to Sam's size, his sexual 'experiments' often resulted with his body inside of another's and, in his haze, he did not understand what the burst of pleasure was.

 

Once it registered that Gabriel was talking to him, asking him a direct question, Sam tilted his hips back and attempted to string together the words. "Y-yes. Please. Gabe." He groaned with gritted teeth as he stubbornly held onto his sanity. "Please let me come."

 

Gabriel couldn't help himself. Sam was just perfect like this. Glancing up to him from beneath his wet hair, Gabriel could just spy Sam's face, his eyes squeezed shut and mouth hanging open as he panted and begged for him. Gabriel's grip tightened on Sam's length when he finally said the magic word, stroking a little faster while his fingers worked to stretch Sam open for one final finger. Gabriel did not move his fingers an inch; instead, he just kept them pressed completely inside of Sam, fingertips just brushing against his prostate to keep him dancing on the edge of the abyss waiting for just the right moment to push him over.

 

"Don't hold back baby," Gabriel murmured against Sam's hip as he added a twist to the strokes of Sam's cock in his palm. "Wanna hear you screaming for me when this one hits you. You're gonna come so hard for me Sam, I swear it."

 

And Gabriel was set on doing just that, watching Sam fall apart, ready and waiting to pick up the pieces when he finally shattered under Gabriel's unfailing attention. The fingers inside Sam pressed in hard against his prostate at the same time Gabriel's hand began to stroke hard and fast. "Come for me," Gabriel's voice was soft as he turned his eyes up to watch. "C'mon Sammy, come for me."

 

Sam mewled under the constant stimulation and struggled to keep himself upright. His breaths became shallow and needy as Gabriel's hand quickened, and Sam desperately pressed against the fingers to find the trigger for his release.

 

When Sam's eyes opened, the edges of his vision pulsed white. He pressed his entire upper body against the wall to support himself. Gabriel's words were thick and almost foreign, but Sam fought to understand them. "Gabriel, please." Sam gasped, biting his lip and grunting to get a handle on himself. His hips jerked forward as soon as they were given permission, his body yearning to come. 

 

Sam groped at his own leg to steady himself through his orgasm and his nails left crooked, red lines wherever he pulled them. He whimpered as Gabriel prodded him closer to his climax and moaned loudly, using various forms of the other man's name. Even with him being so wound up, it only took a few more strokes of both his cock and his prostate to fling him over the edge.

 

When he began to come, the hand on his own leg was not enough to support him, and he quickly dropped it in favor of shoving his hand out behind him so that he could thread it through Gabriel's hair.

 

Gabriel jolted at the feel of Sam's hand grabbing for his head, making his body tighten up and when he tugged...fuck Gabriel saw stars and his hips bucked forward helplessly while he pulled his fingers free from Sam's hole and wrapped one strong arm around Sam's thigh stroking him through his orgasm. Still blinking the stars from his eyes and feeling the burn on his scalp, Gabriel held Sam upright as best he could before reaching down, and two strokes later he came, reveling in the sight, feel and sound of Sam coming undone for him.

 

Sam collapsed against the wall, a humming softly in his throat as he struggled to regain his mind.

 

The neighbors were definitely going to complain.

 

Pressing his forehead into Sam's thigh, Gabriel took a minute to just breathe and recover from his own mind-blowing orgasm. It wasn't until the hot water started to chill and his knees began to ache that Gabriel clawed his way up to rest his back against the opposite wall, watching Sam before a breathless laugh left him and he spoke in a weak voice. "So...breakfast?"

 

Sam's Adam's apple bobbed as he chuckled warmly, his wet hair plastered against the wall and his legs sprawled out in front of him. "I don't think we even showered." He said with a contented smile, tipping his head up to stare at Gabriel for a few moments. With a gentle shake of his head, Sam whispered something similar to 'fuck, Gabe.' He pushed himself off the wall and clumsily stood upright, offering his hand to Gabriel as he moved to stand under the cold stream of water.

 

When he had gotten most of the come off of his stomach, Sam reached out and pulled Gabriel closer, bending a little to press their lips together, smiling happily into the kiss. Sam knew it was dangerous to get so attached to someone so quickly, but he liked how it felt to get lost in something other than work. Sam missed it more than he thought he did.  
"Breakfast sounds good." Sam murmured softly, nosing into Gabriel's cheek. "Am I making it today?"

 

Gabriel grinned at Sam, admiring his own handiwork and looking the tall man up and down. Save for his thigh going dark under the attentions of his mouth, everything else was red and he could even see the line of sticky come as it cooled on Sam's stomach. Taking Sam's hand Gabriel stumbled forward to join him under the luke-warm spray, his hands coming up to help wipe away the mess, grinning to himself because yeah, he did that. He made Sam scream into his tiled shower and come like a man possessed and if he said he wasn't proud as hell Gabriel would be lying.

 

He smiled into Sam's eagerly given kiss, lifting his head and rising up on his toes to take all he could, because more and more of himself was slipping away, being presented to Sam on a silver platter. And the worst part was Gabriel didn't even have it in him to care. Wrapping his arm around Sam's neck, Gabriel leaned back into the taller man, nudging his nose against Sam's cheek. "Nuh-uh," Gabe announced softly, letting his head fall back with a smirk. "I'm making waffles."

 

Sam closed his eyes for a moment and let his arms snake around Gabriel's body, tugging the smaller man closer. He laughed softly and tilted his head into the contact, wet hair sticking to the side of Gabriel's face. "Are you trying to make me fat, Gabe?" Sam asked in a soft, playful tone, moving his lips back to kiss Gabriel again. "Or do you just want to drink all my syrup again?"

 

"Oh no syrup for me, thanks, Gabriel quipped with a devilish smile before he gripped the back of Sam's head speaking before kissing him full and deeply on the mouth. "I got all the sugar I could want riiiight here."


End file.
